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Shane Black Writing 'Lethal Weapon 5'?

Filed under: Action, Classics, Comedy, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

The franchise reboots may never end. According to ComingSoon.net (who spotted it on TrackingB.com), Shane Black has written a spec script for Lethal Weapon 5 without really telling anyone but Joel Silver.

The story would center around Riggs' impending retirement (and his, undoubtedly, being too old for ... well, you know). But before he leaves the force, he has to tackle one last case, and as there are no other police officers in Los Angeles, he hauls Murtaugh out of retirement to help him. Allegedly, both Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are interested, though no deals have been signed.

Now, I name drop Lethal Weapon enough that you undoubtedly know that the series ranks much higher in my life than it probably should. Watching it in my pre-teens not only taught me a choice vocabulary, it rocked my world with glimpses at a naked Mel Gibson. My problems with men probably stem from the pedestal I have placed Martin Riggs upon.

But, that doesn't mean I want a fifth movie -- I already sat through the fourth installment, and it wasn't that good. Black has penned some fantastic scripts in his time -- and I firmly believe A Long Kiss Goodnight is insanely underrated -- and I'd love to see him churning out action-comedies again. But not ones with Riggs and Murtaugh. Let Lethal Weapon lie, and write a franchise that can give us a new badass or two. Check out the video below of Seth Rogen and James Franco discussing Shane Black's movies from Moviefone's latest Unscripted chat...

'The Party' Midwestern Style

Filed under: Comedy, Deals, Remakes and Sequels

This isn't the first murmur of a remake of The Party. In October of last year, there were rumors that Sacha Baron Cohen starring in a new take on the Peter Sellers film. But this is a bird of an entirely different feather.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that Marco Garibaldi, who directed a few episodes of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers in the '90s, is ending his 10-year absence from entertainment with a new production company. He will write and direct a thriller called Last Chance Motel, develop The Vault, but focus on his flagship project --a remake of The Party. "Remake" is being used as loosely as possible.

Instead of Hrundi V. Bakshi heading to a glamorous Hollywood party and trying to fit in, "a hapless blond Midwesterner will have his appearance changed to resemble an Indian by a zealous studio eager he fit a part." Then he gets to this fancy party and mingles with a bunch of stars popping up in cameos. I guess his challenge is to figure out how to mingle as an Indian man for the role? Or, to confuse people by being a seemingly brown-skinned man with a midwestern accent?

Shmeh. This sounds like a mess.

Who's Up for a 'Return to Sleepaway Camp'?

Filed under: Horror, Magnolia, Home Entertainment, Remakes and Sequels

Ah yes, Sleepaway Camp. That ending still packs one wacky punch, doesn't it? Yeah. So here's a quick history lesson:

1983 -- Robert Hiltzik unleashes Sleepaway Camp unto the world. Ten of thousands of creeped-out teenagers can't stop talking about the ending.

1988 & 1989 -- One Michael A. Simpson delivered a pair of back-to-back video sequels: Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers and Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland. Both are notable for their vicious violence, their goofy gore, and their lead actress, who happens to be Bruce Springsteen's little sister. I forget which movie had the "outhouse leeches" murder, but good lord was that scene disgusting.

2002 -- Anchor Bay releases the trilogy in a box set that ends up censored by the Red Cross. Included in the set is footage from an unfinished sequel called Sleepaway Camp 4: The Survivor.

Which bring us up to speed. We've been been hearing word for quite some time now that Hiltzik was working on a Part 4, and now we not only have a release date, but (courtesy of Shock) we also have a DVD cover (and a trailer) to look at. Vincent Pastore and Isaac Hayes star in the inevitably sticky slasher sequel, and the DVD will hit the shelves (on October 14) by way of Magnolia's new Magnet genre division. And you just gotta love that tag-line: "Kids can be so mean!"

Albert Pyun Takes on 'Streets of Fire' Sequel?

Filed under: Action, Music & Musicals, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels

Well, what do you know? Here I was thinking I was one of the few people out there who actually had fond memories of Walter Hill's musical flop Streets of Fire, but you can now add Albert Pyun to the list of the film's dedicated fans. Reports have surfaced over at AICN that the B-movie director extraordinaire is planning a sequel of sorts to the 1984 cult classic. According to AICN, the title is The Road to Hell, and will bring back Streets' original star, Michael Paré, to star alongside Clare Kramer (Buffy) and Courtney Peldon (Boston Public).

If you haven't seen the original, then you are missing out on some prime '80s cheese. What other decade would feature a rock and roll musical set in an urban fantasy land with Willem Dafoe sporting vinyl overalls in a sledgehammer fight to the death? According to AICN, the film will not be a direct sequel to Hill's original flick, but instead a tribute film that will take "STREETS' mood and energy, infusing 50s styled "hardboiled" dialog and characters possessing "dark" shades of gray."

Now that we finally have confirmation from Pyun on that The Sword and the Sorcerer sequel, I guess we'll just have to wait and see which project Pyun makes first. So even though I'm not all that thrilled about a sequel to one of my youth's guilty pleasures, I can't say no to a plot description like this: "Consider it Moulin Rouge meets torture porn. A heavily torqued romantic fantasy where dreams still live but they carry very big knives. "

I'm sold. How about you?

Natalie Portman to Star in 'Suspiria' Remake

Filed under: Horror, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels

Well, since it seems that the very few out there who still respect what I have to say about movies, and horror movies in particular, either didn't read or didn't mind my mild admission that I only like Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, I feel a little bolder about bringing another piece of quasi-blasphemy to light: at this time last year, I hadn't seen Dario Argento's treasured Suspiria, and when I eventually did, I was distinctly underwhelmed. Perhaps it was too dated, perhaps I was too jaded, but I was relegated to sitting back and just plain 'respecting' another classic of the genre.

That makes me no more oblivious to the fact that it's sacred enough that a remake announcement is cause for cringing. Making matters a little less cringe-inducing, though (in my opinion), is Bloody Disgusting's confirmation that Natalie Portman is to star in the 2010 incarnation. She's smart, she's sexy... in short, this Oscar nominee could wander curiously around the halls of my eerie ballet academy any day.

However, I still find the reports that David Gordon Green is attached to direct a little hard to swallow; I'm still coping with the fact that he directed the very funny and relatively mainstream Pineapple Express. Maybe a why-not stance would be most fitting at the moment.

Suspiria remake? Portman starring? What do you think?

Helena Bonham Carter Hints at 'Terminator: Salvation' Role

Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Sony, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels

Helena Bonham Carter gave a few hints on her surprising Terminator: Salvation role to Sci-Fi Wire -- and surprise surprise, it's not a cuddly one! "I kind of play a baddie, definitely a baddie. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say, but I'm a very bad person."

Now, I know there's readers out there who are more up on their Terminator mythology than I am (and it feels weird to even refer to it having a mythology), but were there bad humans? Turncoats who helped the machines? Evil scientists from Skynet? I feel certain this was discussed somewhere in a Kyle Reese monologue, but I may just be filling in gaps. Of course, Bonham Carter could be playing a Terminator (Summer Glau has proved you can be tiny and lethal), but I'm trying to keep all options open.

Given Bonham Carter's late in the game casting, it turns out she was replacing another actress -- Tilda Swinton, who I now want to pop up as a Terminator at some point. (I think I would instantly surrender.)

As for Bonham Carter's own interest, it turns out it was all due to her other half. "Tim [Burton] would have killed me if I hadn't done it, because he's such a Terminator fan. I've been in big movies before ... but I've never been in this kind of big popcorn action movie, a male one, an action one." And honestly, I like that she is in one. I continue to be amazed at the talent who has been attracted to this film, and like the rest of the world, I'm excited to see what becomes of it.

Terminator: Salvation
opens May 22, 2009. We must try not to get overdosed on it ... and that's going to be really hard.

Britney Spears to Officially Play Lesbian Pussycat Stripper for Tarantino?

Filed under: Action, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels



So if this was the halfway mark on an E! True Hollywood Story, we'd segue from "Britney's manager accused of drugging her, gets restraining order issued against him" to "Quentin Tarantino offers Spears a role as a lesbian stripper/murderer in a remake of Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" (Boy would I like to be the voiceover guy during that episode!)

Back in January, Variety's Liz Smith reported that Tarantino was interested in Britney Spears for a role in his Pussycat remake, along with Eva Mendes and Kim Kardashian. (Quick, which one of those three never starred in a moronic reality show?) Now, either the Telegraph is re-running a six-month-old rumor in order to grab some traffic, or Tarantino finally made this particular casting choice official. Says the Telegraph: "Spears' character murders the boyfriend with her bare hands before taking the girlfriend hostage. The troubled singer will also have sex scenes with another girl before the drama ends in a blood-bath."

Well, that's one way to get your career back on track.

No word on the other two girls, or whether Mendes and Kardashian are still being considered, but for now we'll assume a club remix of "Baby Hit Me One More Time" will be featured on the soundtrack.

Jason Statham Wants to Be Daredevil

Filed under: Action, RumorMonger, Fandom, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

This is all casual talk, occurring over beers at the Hard Rock Hotel (oh, to have been at the bar next to them), but it's a fun bit of rumors and dream casting nonetheless.

Geoff Boucher of the LA Times' Hero Complex blog chatted up Jason Statham and Frank Miller on, of all things, Daredevil. The three started talking about a potential reboot of the character, with Statham taking on the role of Matt Murdock. The hard-hitting Brit is excited at the very prospect. "Absolutely, just give me the chance, I would love to be Daredevil." (The emphasis is all Boucher.) In fact, when Boucher suggested he'd make a better Bullseye, Statham looked as though he'd hit him with his pint glass. "Forget Bullseye, I want to be Daredevil!"

Miller thinks he should be Daredevil too -- and apparently got quite quite a twinkle in his eye at the very thought of another movie. That's not surprising, since the character made his career, and I could see him ushering a Daredevil reboot into gear sooner than penning a sequel to 300. (At least, that's what I hope and dream would happen.)

So, what do you guys think? Would Statham be a good fit for the Man Without Fear? As I could watch Statham in just about anything, I'm too biased to judge. (He's got the right jawline for the mask!) I also haven't read as much Daredevil as I should; I have the misfortune of always encountering him as a secondary or background character, so I don't have a very good feel for him. But I like the idea, if only so I could get the Elektra reboot of my dreams.

About That 'Goonies' Sequel Rumor ...

Filed under: Action, Comedy, RumorMonger, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels



We go through a lot of rumors here at Cinematical, some of which eventually turn out to be true and some false. We normally don't spend a whole lot of time on each rumor; if we're in a position to track down "the real truth" fairly easily, we'll do so. If not, we'll let it slide and see where it goes. The other day, Moviehole came out with some pretty big news: That Warner Bros. was in the beginning stages of putting together a Goonies sequel and that some of the original cast would be involved. Pretty BIG DEAL if you ask me -- Goonies is, like, The Bible for some movie freaks (including me).

That said, we simply had to put this rumor through the wringer. And while we were unable to track down Moviehole's source, we did speak to multiple people "in the know" and they claim it's not at all true. In fact, they suggest this Goonies sequel might be getting confused with a film called Treehouse Gang, which is very similar to Goonies and is actually being described as "Warner's Goonies." That film follows a group of childhood friends/explorers who meet up at their 10-year reunion and wind up on a treasure-hunting adventure. Definitely sounds like the perfect Goonies sequel if, ya know, they filmed it when all those guys were in their late 20s, not late 30s.

Then again, perhaps there's a big cover up taking place and Warners really is secretly working on a Goonies sequel. That we do not know. However, I feel pretty confident in saying that it ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

George Lucas Talks 'Indiana Jones V'

Filed under: Action, Casting, Paramount, RumorMonger, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Remakes and Sequels

Less than three months ago, Eugene told us George Lucas was hinting that his Indiana Jones franchise might continue on with Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) as the main character and that Indy (Harrison Ford) would be more of a secondary figure. But MTV Movies Blog now reports that Lucas has had a change of mind and instead plans to make a fifth installment with our beloved hero still in the lead. During promotions for the new Star Wars: Clone Wars movie, he apparently stated that, "Indiana Jones is Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones. If it was Mutt Williams it would be 'Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis' or something."

Could it be, as MTV suggests, that due to fans' dissatisfaction with Mutt and/or due to LaBeouf's problems with the law that Lucas no longer sees the character as a viable investment? Or did he merely come to his senses about how much more money the movie would make with Ford starring? Lucas says that "Indy 5" is still only an idea but that people are researching possible artifacts to base the movie around. Personally, I don't care what kind of MacGuffin is used, so long as the Nazis are the villains again. The commies in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull just didn't do it for me. I know the temporal setting can't be WWII anymore, but Indy could always head back into South America and battle the Nazis who escaped to Argentina and Brazil and elsewhere.
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