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Exactly As Bricks Don't...
Superman
Brendan
Fraser and Matthew Bomer are out. And so is director Brett
Ratner, who announced yesterday that rather than renew his
option to direct Superman (which, a while ago, was a life-long
dream), he would be starting pre-production work on...
Rush
Hour 3.
What kind
of a world is it when we can get another Rush Hour
film before we can get a decent Superman?
Actually,
like the loss of Josh Hartnett for the role, this could be
a blessing in disguise. As a director, Ratner has proven himself
to be a competent face in the crowd, nothing more. But as
the successful Marvel films have proven, audiences
respond to superhero films driven by men with vision, not
just the ability to shoot a cool video.
Right
now, the entire project is up in the air. The only consistent
player remains producer Jon Peters, the one guy every fan
would like to see quietly walk away. At various times in the
troubled project's history, he has insisted on a costume with
no cape, no actual flying in the film ("it's been done"),
Nicolas Cage, polar bears guarding the Fortress of Solitude,
shaolin monks using super kung-fu, and Don Knotts as Jor-El.
I'm only kidding about one of those.
Say, original
Superman director Richard Donner is still around, why
not use him? Wait, that's right, he's too busy producing the
X-Men franchise...
Spider-Man
Perhaps
the most disturbing casting rumor (emphasis on rumor) flying
around this week involves our favorite wall-crawler.
Allegedly,
Tobey Maguire has injured his back from riding too hard in
his role as a jockey in Seabiscuit. Save the snickering.
Though his people have said that he will recover in time for
the April 15 start date of Amazing Spider-Man, someone
has flown the story that Sony is talking replacement.
Who would
don the ridged spandex of Spider-Man?
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Brooding,
intense, and just a little bit disturbing...
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If Maguire
and Rob Schneider had a love-child, Jake Gyllenhaal would
be the man. The Spider-Man.
He has
a similar laidback delivery to Maguire, and he has a nice
edge, as anyone who saw Donnie Darko (recommended)
will attest. However, Gyllenhaal also has a creepiness to
him that Maguire does not, which could translate into a Peter
Parker who is scarier than his costumed identity.
Again,
it's all conjecture at this point. We can't stress this enough.
But it is flying around the internet with more force than
Halle Berry telling Bryan Singer to kiss her black ass. Keep
those grains of salt handy.
The
Punisher
Just a
small follow-up on a rumor: Artisan Entertainment officially
green-lighted The Punisher last month, in the hands of writer/director
Jonathan Hensleigh. Though they have not made an official
announcement as to who will play Frank Castle, actor Thomas
Jane claims it's him.
If you
want to check out how suitable he is for the role, Jane has
one of the leads in Dreamcatcher, where yes, he handles
weaponry with grim-faced determination.
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