July 2020 – Page 17 – Movie Retakes

Snow Blind: Apple Wins Rights to Jake Gyllenhaal-Led Film Adaptation

Snow Blind: Apple wins rights to Jake Gyllenhaal-led film adaptation

Following an intense bidding war among six major studios, Deadline brings word Apple has successfully won the rights to Jake Gyllenhaal’s thriller film adaptation of Snow Blind, based on Ollie Masters and Tyler Jenkins’ graphic novel of the same name. The project has also found its director in the form of Sweden-born director Gustav Möller (The Guilty) who has signed on to helm his first-ever English-language film.

The graphic novel, penned by Ollie Masters (The Kitchen), follows high school teen Teddy, whose life in a sleepy suburb in Alaska is turned upside-down when he innocently posts a photo of his dad online and subsequently learns he and his family are in the Witness Protection Program. When a man seeking revenge and FBI agents invade their town, Teddy learns his father’s reasons for going into the program may not be as innocent as he says.

Purchase the original graphic novel here!

The film adaptation will be penned by Carnegie Medal-winning author and screenwriter Patrick Ness, best known for his work on the 2011 coming-of-age fantasy A Monster Calls, writing the novel and penning the script, and authoring the Chaos Walking novel series and co-writing the screenplay for the upcoming adaptation starring Tom Holland (Avengers: Endgame) and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).

The film is currently being pitched as Prisoners, the Oscar-nominated thriller starring Gyllenhaal, mixed with Running on Empty, with BOOM! Studios’ Ross Richie and Stephen Christy, Mett Norkjaer, and Nine Stories’ Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker attached to produce. Adam Yoelin and Noah Stahl are also set as executive producers.

Snow Blind marks the latest BOOM! Studios material to be snatched up for a film adaptation, with January bringing word that Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures acquiring the rights to the horror graphic novel Memetic with Mattson Tomlin (The Batman) signing on to pen the screenplay.

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The Old Guard Director Opens Up About Potential Sequel

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The Old Guard director opens up about potential sequel

SPOILERS AHEAD

Last Friday, Netflix debuted its latest action-fantasy film The Old Guard which was positively received by viewers and critics. After becoming the streamer’s most-watch movie a day after its release, fans have been clamoring for a sequel especially given its intense cliffhanger which saw the return of Van Veronica Ngo’s Quynh, who is still alive after hundreds of years of being imprisoned inside an iron coffin at the bottom of the sea. That’s why many people have been so interested and excited at what comes next for the band of immortal warriors and how Charlize Theron’s Andy will react to meeting Quynh again.

Speaking with Games Radar, director Gina Prince-Blythewood opened up about The Old Guard‘s potential sequel, revealing that she already has plans for the film’s future.

“It’ll be based on the graphic novel,” Prince-Bythewood explained. “In terms of what Greg [Rucka] has written, Quynh has reared her head, and that causes some issues, absolutely. But also, there’s a very grounded story tackling problems within the world, which again brings more villains that are not with immortality, so it’s a really cool balance between the two, in the graphic novel.”

In another interview with Collider, Prince-Blythewood also revealed that graphic novel creator and screenwriter Greg Rucka had always envisioned the film adaptation to become a trilogy. “Greg has always envisioned this as a trilogy. I know where the story is going and it’s pretty dope.”

Based on Greg Rucka and artist Leandro Fernandez’s comic book of the same name, The Old Guard tells of a small group of soldiers, led by a woman named Andromache of Scythia or Andy, who are inexplicably immortal and have been working as mercenaries through the ages. But in the 21st century, the novelty of not dying is long gone as the group gets a jolt in their bones when they discover the existence of a new immortal, a black woman serving in the Marines, at the same time as a nefarious organization captures their undying actions on camera.

Pick up a copy of the comic book series here!

The film adaptation will be led by Oscar winner Charlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Andromache of Scythia, Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) as Nile and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange) as Copley. It will also feature Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin) as Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) as Niles Freeman, Matthias Schoenaerts (Red Sparrow) as Sebastian le Livre, Luca Marinelli (Trust) as Nicolo di Genova, Harry Melling (The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs) as Merrick and Veronica Ngo (Bright).

The Old Guard is directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood (Beyond the Lights) from a script written by comic book creator Greg Rucka as he makes his feature screenplay debut. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger of Skydance are set to produce. Marc Evans, Theron and her Denver and Delilah principals Beth Kono and AJ Dlx will also produce. Stan Wlodkowski and Rucka will serve as executive producers.

THE OLD GUARD (L to R) KIKI LAYNE as NILE, LUCA MARINELLI as NICKY, CHARLIZE THERON as ANDY, MARWAN KENZARI as JOE in THE OLD GUARD. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix/NETFLIX Â© 2020

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Actress Kelly Preston Dies From Cancer at Age 57

It is with great sadness that ComingSoon.net (via CNN) must report that actress Kelly Preston has passed away at age 57 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. Her husband, actor John Travolta, released the following statement on Instagram…

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It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal. All my love, JT

A post shared by John Travolta (@johntravolta) on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:20pm PDT

Preston began her career studying drama and theater at the University of Southern California. She became a model at age 16, and auditioned for the lead role in The Blue Lagoon eventually won by Brooke Shields. She made her big screen debut in three 1983 cult movies: The Charles Bronson crime flick 10 to Midnight, the 3D Mad Max ripoff Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, and the John Carpenter killer car horror thriller Christine. Her first major film roles came in the teen sex comedies Mischief and Secret Admirer, both in 1985.

In 1986 she appeared in the box office dud Space Camp alongside future star Joaquin Phoenix, but finally had her first blockbuster success as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s love interest in Ivan Reitman’s 1988 smash Twins. She would work with Schwarzenegger again in 1992 in the Tales From the Crypt episode “The Switch,” one of The Governator’s only two directorial credits. She appeared in the 1989 box office bomb The Experts, but the film proved fortuitous for Preston because it was on this project that she met her future husband John Travolta, whom she married in 1991 and would remained married to for three decades. The pair went on to appear together in the comedy hit Old Dogs (2009) and the much maligned bombs Battlefield Earth (2000) and Gotti (2018).

Arguably Preston’s most well-known role was as Tom Cruise’s fiance in the romantic comedy classic Jerry Maguire (1996). Other notable roles include Alexander Payne’s debut film Citizen Ruth (1996), Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), Griffin Dunne’s Addicted to Love (1997), Sam Raimi’s For Love of the Game (1999) opposite Kevin Costner, The Cat in the Hat (2003) opposite Mike Meyers, superhero comedy Sky High (2005) opposite Kurt Russell, and James Wan’s Death Sentence (2007) opposite Kevin Bacon.

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Here are some reactions to the death of Kelly Preston on social media…

Kelly Preston was extraordinary. I was lucky enough to star with her and direct her, and her talent was off the charts. She had such a big heart, she was a wonderful wife and mother, and my thoughts are with John and the whole family.

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) July 13, 2020

I’m unbelievably saddened by the news that Kelly Preston has passed and at such a young age. A beautiful and kind person I was fortunate enough to have known. My heart breaks for John and the kids pic.twitter.com/kDophIwa6y

— Shania Twain (@ShaniaTwain) July 13, 2020

Heard about Kelly Preston. Condolences to John and family.

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) July 13, 2020

IN LOVE with Kelly Preston when first saw her in Twins. Starstruck upon meeting her at first Jerry Maguire rehearsal. BLOWN AWAY by her kindness… To all of us. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/VEpvjgVSf9

— Jerry O’Connell (@MrJerryOC) July 13, 2020

How tragic and sad about Kelly Preston. I shot CAT IN THE HAT with Kelly many years ago .
She remains one of the loveliest people I’ve ever worked with. Funny. Kind.
My heart goes out to John and their family.

— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) July 13, 2020

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If It Bleeds: Stephen King’s Latest Novella Nabs Movie Deals from Netflix, Ben Stiller & Darren Aronofsky

If It Bleeds: Stephen King’s latest novella nabs movie deals from Netflix, Ben Stiller & Darren Aronofsky

According to Deadline, acclaimed horror author Stephen King’s most recently published novella titled If It Bleeds has already garnered three movie deals from three different studios. Consisting of four short stories, the novella was first published in April 2020 which you can now purchase by clicking here!

Netflix in partnership with Blumhouse Productions and Emmy-winning creator Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) has successfully acquired the film rights to Mr. Harrigan’s Phone which is the first short story in the novella. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) has also signed on to write and helm the film adaptation with Murphy, Jason Blum, and Carla Hacken serving as producers.

Described as in the same tone as Stand By Me, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone follows the story of a young boy in Maine as he befriends an old and retired billionaire named Mr. Harrigan, who first bonded together through an iPhone. When Mr. Harrigan dies, the teen puts the phone in his pal’s pocket before burial and when the lonely youth leaves his dead friend a message, he is shocked to get a return text from beyond the grave.

Meanwhile, the two other stories from the novella titled The Life of Chuck and Rat were optioned by Darren Aronofsky through his Protozoa banner and Ben Stiller, respectively. On top of starring, Stiller is also expected to produce and direct the Rat feature.

As for the novella’s titular short story, it centers around Holly Gibney of the Finders Keepers detective agency, who has been a popular recurring character throughout King’s novels including The Outsider and the Bill Hodges trilogy. Even though it still hasn’t been optioned by any streamers or networks, it is likely to be acquired by HBO especially given the premium network’s most recent limited series adaptation of The Outsider where it saw Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo portray the role of Holly Gibney.

The post If It Bleeds: Stephen King’s Latest Novella Nabs Movie Deals from Netflix, Ben Stiller & Darren Aronofsky appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Little Monsters: Josh Cooley to Direct Universal’s Newest Monster Project

Little Monsters: Josh Cooley to direct Universal’s newest monster project

Universal Pictures continues to expand and invest in their classic monsters with The Hollywood Reporter bringing word that the studio is currently developing a new project titled Little Monsters which will reportedly be a more family-friendly take on the iconic horror characters. Long-time Pixar animator Josh Cooley, who is known for directing the Oscar-winning animated film Toy Story 4, has officially signed on to write and helm the project.

Plot details for Little Monsters are still being kept under wraps but the outlet’s sources have described it as a live-action hybrid monster film which will be a “love letter to classic Hollywood and the history of filmmaking with a story that takes a multigenerational approach to the monsters.”

The film will be a co-production between Universal and Mandeville Films with Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman set as producers. It is unclear if the studio would also be using a modest budget for the project in the same direction they’re taking with their other monster projects.

The Little Monsters film will now become a part of Universal’s growing list of upcoming monster projects including Paul Feig’s Dark Army, Dexter Fletcher’s film about Dracula henchman Renfield, Elizabeth Banks’ Invisible Woman, Matt Stawki’s Monster Mash, James Wan’s untitled monster film, Karyn Kusama’s Dracula, the Ryan Gosling-led Wolfman film and David Keopp’s long-in-development The Bride of Frankenstein reboot.

Universal Pictures attempted to create its own shared universe with its legacy monsters; an ambitious project that would have featured the likes of Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, and Javier Bardem. Then The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise, crashed and burned with a middling $409 million worldwide gross and subsequently derailed Universal’s Dark Universe.

Because of that, the studio has decided to abandon the shared universe approach and instead focus on character-driven films guided by strong filmmakers and good stories. The first result of their new strategy was Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man starring Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen which garnered positive reviews from critics and had grossed over $57 million in its opening weekend on a $7 million budget.

(Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

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Random Acts of Violence Trailer Brings an R-Rated Comic Book to Life

Random Acts of Violence trailer brings an r-rated comic book to life

Shudder has released the official red band trailer for actor-director Jay Baruchel’s slasher film adaptation of Random Acts of Violence, giving us a preview of the gruesome deaths that will be featured in the film. Also starring Jesse Williams, the film had its world premiere at the 2019 Fantastic Fest in September and will be having its streaming debut in the US, UK, and Ireland on August 20, exclusively on Shudder. It will also be arriving in Canada in theaters and on-demand on July 31. Check out the video in the player below!

Based on the graphic novel by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Random Acts of Violence follows the story of comic book creator Todd Walkley (Jesse Williams), along with his girlfriend, Kathy (Jordana Brewster), assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson), and best friend and Hard Calibre Comics owner Ezra (Baruchel) as they go on a road trip. On their way from Toronto to New York for Comic-Con, bad things start to happen and people start getting killed in a fashion eerily similar to the kills portrayed in his Slasherman comic. It becomes clear that a very avid fan is out there following them and hurting people, and using Todd’s comic as inspiration. As the bodies pile up, and Todd’s friends and family become targets and victims themselves, Todd will be forced into taking responsibility for everything his ideas have wrought.

Pick up a copy of the graphic novel here!

The movie stars Jay Baruchel (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice), Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy), Jordana Brewster (Fast and Furious franchise), and Niamh Wilson (Saw III). Baruchel — who expressed his desire to direct the movie adaptation of Random Acts of Violence a few years ago — co-wrote the screenplay for the horror feature alongside writing partner Jesse Chabot.

Random Acts of Violence is produced by Elevation Pictures (The Imitation Game, Room, Moonlight). Noah Segal (The Hummingbird Project) and Randy Manis (Margin Call) serve as producers with Williams, Chabot, Ricky Tollman, Jonathan Bronfman, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Justin Gray set as executive producers. Ariella Naymark serves as co-producer.

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CS Score! Reviews Dracula 2000 and The Thin Red Line 4-CD Set

Welcome back, film score lovers! On this week’s CS Score! we’ll go over the release of Varèse Sarabande’s Dracula 2000 by Marco Beltrami and dive deeper into Hans Zimmer’s masterpiece, The Thin Red Line.

Before we get to ole Dracula, we want to debut a clip from the upcoming Ramy Seasons One and Two (Original Composition Soundtrack Album), featuring music by composers Dan Romer (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Skin) and Mike Tuccillo (Out of Omaha). The score to the comedy-drama series was released digitally by Lakeshore Records on July 3 and can be purchased by clicking the link below!

Ramy: Seasons One and Two (Original Composition Soundtrack Album)

Listen to “Tame the Untamable”

Dracula 2000 by Marco Beltrami

Boy, who doesn’t love discovering a new soundtrack? Dracula 2000 arrived in theaters without much fanfare and grossed a ho-hum $47.1 million in the United States against a $54 million budget. This despite a stellar cast that included Gerald Butler, Christopher Plummer, Omar Epps, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Jennifer Esposito. Not to mention the involvement of horror maestro Wes Craven. Critics tore the pic to shreds with only 17% awarding it a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes.

Because of that, Marco Beltrami’s exciting score lay largely unheard for nearly two decades until Varèse Sarabande released it as part of its Little Box of Horrors 12-disc set. And now, the label has seen fit to provide the long-lost title as a standalone album available July 24.

While Beltrami doesn’t break any new ground with his work, he does deliver an exuberant sense of classical gothic fun. Take a listen to the opening track, “Lifeboat,” which begins with a dark and ominous underscore accompanied by the wailing vocals of Mamak Khadem and evolves into the thunderously exciting main theme replete with drums, powerful horns, and gothic choir. The whole soundtrack evokes some of Shirley Walker’s best work (namely Memoirs of an Invisible Man and even Batman: The Animated Series) with its powerful, dramatic brass and driving rhythms.

The next few tracks consist of typical horror ambiance — choir, dark piano chords, synthesizer — before the track “Mission: Impossible” explodes with a series of electronic beats more in line with Beltrami’s own Terminator 3 score.

Tellingly, Dracula 2000 doesn’t truly come alive until its sixth track, titled, “The Movable Feast/Come to Daddy,” which begins with electronic pulses before erupting into the type of gothic crescendo that would make Danny Elfman proud.

Other tracks like “Mary and Priest” lean on Khadem’s vocals (reminiscent of Lisa Gerrard’s work with Hans Zimmer on Gladiator) and occasionally pair the vocalist with lush violin, or ominous choir to rousing effect. The album’s best track, “At Home with the Creeps/Old Man in the C/Goodnight Moon” is a deliciously creepy bit that slowly builds to an exuberant finish full of wild percussions, choir, and some rather exciting orchestra.

“Tickle Me Elmo/Mary, Mary Quite Contrary/Mary & Drac Left Hangin’” is a lengthy piece that meanders about for its first half and eventually brings the entire soundtrack together with some exciting choir-driven action music. This new release also includes two additional versions of “The Sun Also Rises,” aka the main theme, and “Canned Heat.”

Again, while not groundbreaking, Beltrami’s work on Dracula 2000 sounds better than it has any right to, especially considering the hackneyed film it accompanied. Sure, it evokes memories of better scores and seems to borrow from the vocal influences of the time, but Dracula 2000 remains an exciting, even underappreciated gothic work.

You can purchase the original Dracula 2000 Soundtrack by clicking here!

The Thin Red Line by Hans Zimmer

The Thin Red Line remains one of the great scores of the last two decades. Ripe with powerful, sweeping themes and featuring one of the truly great tracks of our time in “Journey to the Line,” Zimmer’s work for Terrence Malick’s masterpiece is beyond astonishing.

La-La Land Records released a 4-CD package of The Thin Red Line in 2019, and we finally got our hands on the collection for a brief review. You can check out our unboxing photos in our last edition of CS Score. For this entry, we’ll take a deeper dive into the set.

The score to the film is presented over the first two CDs, which contain roughly two hours worth of music, including “Concerto for Beam (Extended Version)” by John Powell. Highlights of the first pair of discs include the tracks “Witt with Melanesians,” which introduces one of the main themes to the film; one that draws inspiration from the Melanesians track “God Yu Takem Laef Blong Mi.” “March Inland” features a quieter, though no less powerful, version of “Journey to the Line,” which serves as the main motif during the majority of the recollection sequences.

Another more sinister theme, mostly heard during the sequences featuring Nick Nolte’s Lt. Col. Tall, receives its first statement in the second half of track 3, “Witt in Brig/Tall and Quintard,” and pops up time and again between the more lyrical tracks. Zimmer also employs a more somber death theme in tracks such as “Keck’s Death”; and more dramatically in “Welsh Helps Tella.” More introspective music appears during “Bell’s Patrol.”

The first CD builds towards “Attack in the Bivouac (Long Version)” aka “Journey to the Line,” as its more commonly known, which remains one of Zimmer’s most stunning (and, ironically given the scene in which it’s used, inspiring) compositions. This music has popped up in any number of trailers and managed to lend power and grace to blockbusters like Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor.

Disc 2 is certainly quieter than Disc 1 as the film slows down to offer more character reflection. A majority of the music is a tad redundant and doesn’t offer much in the way of new material, but still features plenty of tracks to enjoy. “Airfield – Bell Flashback” is a quiet, somber, and heartbreaking cue comprised of rising and falling strings; while “Witt Killed” remains one of my all-time favorite Zimmer cues not only because of the context of the scene in which it is featured in the film, but also due to its stunning emotional core. Truly masterful stuff.

A number of alternate cues round out Disc 2, while Disc 3 provides the original motion picture soundtrack released back in 1999. A number of pieces not heard in the final film appear on this album, so it is essential in terms of gathering all the music crafted by Zimmer and co., though it feels a little cheap to force people to shell out $60 for a soundtrack they already own. In fact, it’s said that Zimmer wrote four hours of film score for The Thin Red Line. Why not include the music we didn’t get to hear?

Another disappointment in this collection lies in the fourth and final disc, which is comprised of Melanesian choir songs, only one of which was heard in the actual film. While the music is interesting, it most certainly won’t tide over fans yearning for more of Zimmer’s work.

Essentially, you’re paying $60 for two CDs and a spiffy making-of booklet with notes about the score and the film. If you don’t own the original soundtrack, then the addition of it in this set is only a bonus. However, it’s tough not to be disappointed by this set considering the material La-La Land had to work with. Though, the first two CDs are absolutely essential for every film music collector.

You can purchase the original The Thin Red Line soundtrack by clicking here!

You can purchase the 4-CD package of The Thin Red Line soundtrack here!

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Paul W.S. Anderson’s Monster Hunter Pushed Seven Months

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Paul W.S. Anderson’s Monster Hunter pushed seven months

Another film has bit the release delay dust as Paul W.S. Anderson’s upcoming film adaptation of the hit Capcom video game franchise Monster Hunter starring Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) has been pushed back seven months from September 2020 to April 23, 2021, according to The Wrap.

Monster Hunter centers on the leader of a UN military team named Artemis, played by Jovovich, who is transported to another realm populated by monsters. There she meets the Hunter (Jaa), with the two teaming up to close a portal to prevent monsters from attacking earth. The movie will be a highly stylish big-screen adaptation of the video game.

The film adaptation will be led by Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil franchise) and Tony Jaa. It will also star Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Drive), T.I. Harris (Ant-Man and The Wasp), Diego Boneta (Luis Miguel, Rock of Ages), Meagan Good (Code Black), and Josh Helman (X-Men: Days of Future Past).

Monster Hunter is written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The film is a production by Sony Pictures, Constantin Film and Impact Pictures with Anderson, Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer, Martin Moszkowicz, and Dennis Berardi serving as producers.

Pick up your copy of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition here!

The video game series consists of action role-playing games where players and their friends work together to take down larger-than-life beasts in a living, breathing ecosystem. Since the first Monster Hunter title made its debut 14 years ago in 2004, the series has attracted a dedicated fan base, and grown into a global mega-hit with Monster Hunter: World, the latest title in the series, shipping 10 million units worldwide, with cumulative sales of the series exceeding 49 million units as of August 20, 2018.

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David Ayer Reveals Original Enchantress Design for Suicide Squad

David Ayer reveals original Enchantress design for Suicide Squad

Much like Zack Snyder’s Justice League before him, the internet rabbit hole surrounding David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad continues to deepen further as one fan on Twitter unveiled a treasure trove of character concept art, namely for Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress showing a completely new look the writer/director originally wanted.

This is where I wanted to take her look. https://t.co/Hl6vwdzG6E

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) July 8, 2020

As a director who clearly adores and appreciates his fan base, Ayer has been pretty responsive and open when it comes to a variety of questions surrounding the various cuts and changes made to his project, from the original designs and motivations of the Parademons to more Jared Leto Joker footage. His last social media revelation showed that one big Parademon was originally supposed to be the final “boss fight” of sorts in the film before Warner Bros. nixed the idea and they went with the barely expanded-upon brother of Enchantress, Incubus.

The ball is firmly in Warner Bros. court on this one. It certainly bodes well that Ayer doesn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward the studio, nor with Gunn and vice versa. Ayer has also said that there’s a lot more footage of Jared Leto’s Joker nestled somewhere in the WB archives. Regardless, there’s the matter of what kind of resources the studio is willing to give Ayer to realize his true vision of the film. Warner Bros. is reportedly giving Snyder an estimated $20-30 million to properly finish his Justice League cut, but with Ayer recently confirming he wouldn’t need anywhere close to that to finish his version, many are questioning why not just allow him to go for it.

Would you like to see a proper director’s cut of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad down the line? Let us know in the comment section below!

Recommended Reading: Justice League vs. Suicide Squad

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CS Interview: The Russo Bros. Talk Flash Gordon

ComingSoon.net had the chance to chat with Joe and Anthony Russo about their weekly series Russo Bros. Pizza Film School, including Episode 6, available to watch below, their newest installment featuring Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) as the group takes a look back at 1980’s Flash Gordon, which you can order here!

ComingSoon.net: They told me that the next episode of Pizza Film School is Taika and you guys talking about Flash Gordon.

Joe: That’s right. I think that is the movie that I have seen the most in my life, is Flash Gordon.

CS: It’s such an interesting case study of a comic strip adaptation because visually it’s very true to Alex Raymond. But tonally, it owes more to the sort of the camp of the Batman TV show, which Lorenzo Semple also wrote. And I know it was a big influence on Taika for Ragnarok. But what lessons do you think young filmmakers or screenwriters can take from it as an adaptation?

Joe: Flash Gordon, part of the reason we’re doing Pizza Film School, we’re trying to bring awareness and attention to older films that the newer generation may not have seen and give some context to those movies as well, because it’s always better to watch a film with some context around it. So we talk, really, the whole ethos of them was that I was talking to my kids. I was with my kids during quarantine watching movies with me, old movies, and then discussing them with them and then talking about how I was influenced by the movies. A little bit of like, family film school. And my daughter said, “You guys should probably do this for everyone on Instagram.” And I thought, oh, that’s a good idea because it’ll bring awareness.

So Flash Gordon, you know, is of a time and a place. It was a 10-year-old me going into a theater in Cleveland, Ohio a year after the city had gone bankrupt. We were in an industrial city, you know, this hard-nosed industrial working-class city. Her grandpa worked in the steel mills. Here we are in Cleveland, Ohio looking for escapism. And this flashy, comic booky, you know, tongue and cheek Queen soundtrack movie shows up and it was a few months after I saw Empire Strikes Back, which punched me in the gut.

And then, this big smiley sci-fi opera showed up with a lot of, you know, because Cleveland’s also a big classic rock town, so rock and roll was an important thing, so Queen was one of our favorite bands. We kind of got everything we wanted out of that movie. And you know, I felt so good after walking out of the theater. I loved that movie so much, that when it came out on Betamax a year later, it was literally on a loop in our house because we would just play it to listen to the soundtrack in the background. And I think Flash’s theme song might be, you know, if I could document the song most listened to in my life, that might be it.

CS: Oh wow.

Joe: Between the ages of 11 and 15, I probably listened to that song 30,000 times. So it was a really influential movie in that regard, what you could do with sci-fi and fantasy. And if you watch the film, it’s a really weird combination of elements. It’s completely tongue in cheek and over the top and ridiculous. But it’s also got sort of that Mike Hodges Get Carter energy involved. There’s some really scary, weird moments. So the tone is very complicated. And I loved that as a kid, you know, that it could feel popcorny and fun in moments, and in other moments feel very real and spooky, you know? And Max von Sydow, yeah.

CS: Absolutely. Well, and it’s interesting because I know that for Ragnarok, Taika was inspired a lot by this movie, and also Big Trouble in Little China, which are two, at the time, bombs. So how important is it to not necessarily chase after trends and to be inspired by movies that weren’t necessarily huge hits?

Anthony: I think that’s what’s inspiring about it. Exactly. I mean, that was one thing that Joe and I, as we were coming up, it’s interesting because you develop a passion for a lot of films that don’t end up becoming cultural touchstones, where there’s the films that everybody talks about, put a dialogue around the film, and to circulate around those films that everybody has seen and everybody loves. But there’s the certain canon that like, is kind of generally accepted by everybody that you can basically get in a conversation with almost any person about and reference it or sort of talk about your experience of what the movie is.

But there’s other movies that become very important to us for whatever reason. They speak to us on a personal level. But again, you can’t talk to anybody about because very few people appreciate them. I think Joe and I were always very lucky coming up because we had each other and all of those weird, quirky movies that nobody else had seen, because Joe and I lived together, because of our relationship, we’ve seen everything. There’s almost nothing that one of us has seen that the other one hasn’t. So we always had each other to talk about even the most obscure stuff with. And I think that’s one thing we’ve loved about our relationship and one thing that we’ve tried to carry forward now with Pizza Film School.

CS: Right. And one thing I’ve been curious about is how much of sci-fi and fantasy is in your blood? Because the first two MCU movies that you did were more grounded. And then suddenly with the Avengers movies, you were in the stratosphere with these planets and spaceships and monsters and wizards. Was that something that you always had in you?

Anthony: Yeah, our taste has mostly been eclectic. The fact that we’re led to those different places with those movies had mostly to do with the stories that we were sort of waiting on and telling at the time. But we have really eclectic tastes. We love everything from very grounded realism to pure fantasy to absurdism, sci-fi, fantasy, everything. So I would say we’ve been fed by all of it.

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Month: July 2020