Fun THE DEVELOPMENT HELL THREAD: Where Abandoned Movie Projects Go to Die!

[chainsaw_metal1]

Then there was this - on the telly - in 2007....

I hated that show. One thing that made the original comic strip and eventual serials work was that they were cut off from Earth, having taken a rocket across the stars. I understand that the rocket aspect was passe, and that utilizing the teleports, or whatever they were, was more feasible, but it sucked.

Plus, when you go back and read those old strips (I reviewed a collection of them for the website I used to write for), you realize that they are products of their time. Even by the time the feature film came out, it was dated, but the movie is so much fun, you don't care.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The “Maniac Cop” Remake Falls Apart?





The proposed remake of genre great Larry Cohen’s “Maniac Cop” appears to be dead.

The original film followed a former highly decorated cop who was framed by his department and eventually murdered in prison. His hatred makes him come back to life, where he stalks New York and murders both guilty and innocent alike.

“Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn has spent years trying to get a remake off the ground and it was confirmed in March the project had received a greenlight from a script by Ed Brubaker.

That’s not the case anymore Cohen tells Birth.Movies.Death, saying the project isn’t moving ahead after all – and he’s not unhappy about it:

“As far as I know, that’s not happening anymore, and if it is, they might be trying to keep it a secret, as they’d owe me $250,000. Ed Brubaker wrote the script, and I’ve read the script, and it’s not very good. Ed Brubaker is a very good writer of comic books, I think. But if he’s written a good script for a movie, I haven’t read it.

I wrote six new scenes for the picture, based on what I’d read. And, had I written the whole script, the movie would probably be happening, as the script would be good. I wrote three films for Bill Lustig, though they changed a lot of [Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence] and Bill got fired from it…and I would’ve written the fourth movie, had they asked. But they didn’t, and now it’s not getting made.”

Cohen also spoke a bit about the new take’s plot, comparing it to Neil Jordan’s 1986 film “Mona Lisa”. Cohen is currently busying prepping a ten-episode anthology series to be produced by J.J. Abrams.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Disney Plans “Othello” & “Cyrano” Mash-Up





Oscar-winning “Moonlight” writer Tarell Alvin McCraney and “Selma” actor David Oyelowo are teaming for a musical mashup of Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” and William Shakespeare’s “Othello” at Walt Disney Pictures.

Titled “Cyrano the Moor,” the live-action tale will be set in the Bristol region of England during the 19th century and is said to be as lavish as any of the other fairytales Disney puts out ala “Cinderella” and “Beauty and the Beast”.

The original “Cyrano de Bergerac” is a comedy about a man of many talents who has a very large nose and because of that has no confidence. Othello is tragedy about a Moorish general whose life is basically torn asunder by a Machiavellian confidant which leads Othello to murder his own beloved wife.

David Oyelowo, Jessica Oyelowo and Yoruba Saxon will produce. Oyelowo recently received critical acclaim for his performance as Othello opposite Daniel Craig earlier this year in the Sam Gold directed and Barbara Broccoli produced off-Broadway play.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Cochran

Elizabeth Banks has been set to star alongside Anthony Mackie as Johnnie Cochran in the Taylor Hackford-directed biopic “Cochran”. David McMillan penned the script.

The story revolves around Cochran’s career-making case revolving around the pursuit of justice in the Signal Hill police brutality case in 1981. Banks will play Mary Neiswender, an investigative newspaper reporter for the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

 

[Doctor Omega]

DiCaprio & Scorsese Re-Team On “Roosevelt”




Paramount Pictures and Appian Way have setup “Roosevelt,” a new dramatic biopic about former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt, with the project being planned as a Leonardo DiCaprio-led, Martin Scorsese-directed feature.

Roosevelt went from New York Governor to vice president to become, at 42, the youngest president when President William Mckinley was assassinated in 1901. His most enduring achievements though came in the area of conservation, including his work around reserves, preserves, national parks and forests.

Scott Bloom has been set to write the drama which DiCaprio, Scorsese, Emma Koskoff, Chuck Pacheco and Jennifer Davisson are producing

Scorsese and DiCaprio remain in development of film adaptations of “The Devil In The White City” and “Killers of The Flower Moon”.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Abrams Producing Live-Action “Your Name” Remake




“Arrival” scribe Eric Heisserer has been set to pen an English-language live-action remake of the hit anime feature “Your Name” for Paramount Pictures and J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot.

The sci-fi love story centers on a teenage boy and girl from different parts of Japan who discover they can swap bodies and are separated by time as well as space.

When an impending comet landfall threatens one of their towns, they must find a way to meet and stop it from happening.

Makoto Shinkai wrote and directed the original which is the highest grossing anime film at the worldwide box office, taking in a whopping $355 million.

Abrams, Genki Kawamura and Lindsey Weber will produce the remake.

 

[Doctor Omega]

“Lucifer” Showrunner To Do “Navigtor” Reboot





The Henson Company is developing and producing a film reboot of the iconic 1986 sci-fi feature “Flight of the Navigator” at Lionsgate.

“Lucifer” showrunner Joe Henderson has been hired to pen the new take on the story of a twelve-year-old boy who is abducted by a UFO and reappears eight years later, at the exact same age and with no memories of what happened.

When NASA officials spot a connection between the boy and a recovered UFO and try to ensnare him, the kid tries to unravel the intergalactic mystery while trying to reunite with his family. Randal Kleiser (“Grease”) helmed the original.

“Jurassic World” scribes Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly at one point took a shot at a remake of the property in 2009, but that version didn’t go forward. The third season of “Lucifer” hits FOX next week.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The Third “Sex and the City” Film Is Dead





They managed to score six seasons and two films out of it, but the sun has officially set on the “Sex and the City” franchise with the show’s lead star Sarah Jessica Parker saying plans for a third film are officially dead.

Many of the cast had previously expressed their interest in returning to their iconic roles first played in the HBO series, but speaking with Extra this week Parker is quite clear – it’s over:

“It’s over. We’re not doing it. … I’m disappointed. We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story. It’s not just disappointing that we don’t get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for that audience that has been so vocal in wanting another movie.”

Parker currently stars in HBO’s “Divorce”. The “Sex and the City” franchise made headlines in Australia last year when former co-star Kristin Davis, in the country to promote her role as a UNHCR ambassador, was infamously ambushed by breakfast program “Sunrise” with an incredibly dated and cringeworthy sketch that was seen as a national embarrassment.

 

[chainsaw_metal1]

The Third “Sex and the City” Film Is Dead

This would almost make me believe in a higher power. Then I remember that there were already two of them made. I'm ever so thankful I have one of those rare wives who didn't watch that show. I watched half of an episode, and I don't think I ever regained the brain cells lost.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The “Sex and the City” franchise made headlines in Australia last year when former co-star Kristin Davis, in the country to promote her role as a UNHCR ambassador, was infamously ambushed by breakfast program “Sunrise” with an incredibly dated and cringeworthy sketch that was seen as a national embarrassment.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The curse of Hollywood strikes again.....

 

[Doctor Omega]

“Lucy 2” Script Done, But Not Besson’s Next





EuropaCorp CEO Marc Shmuger has confirmed that filmmaker Luc Besson has completed the script for the sequel to the 2014 sci-fi action thriller “Lucy” starring Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson starred in the original as a student abducted by thugs who turn her into a drug mule for a package with a powerful chemical, but it leaks into her system and gives her superhuman abilities.

Morgan Freeman, Min-sik Choi, Amr Waked, Pilou Asbaek and Analeigh Tipton co-starred in the film which pulled in an impressive $463.3 million worldwide from a $40 million budget.

Besson, coming off the failure of the “Valerian” film which made $235 million worldwide from a $209 million budget, is eyeing another female-driven project to direct before he tackles “Lucy 2”.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Luc Besson has completed the script for the sequel to the 2014 sci-fi action thriller “Lucy” starring Scarlett Johansson.

I wonder if this one will ever get made, or is destined for the movie graveyard of unmade projects?

 

[Doctor Omega]

Liman Updates “Edge of Tomorrow” Sequel Status




Still doing press for “American Made,” filmmaker Doug Liman has offered an update on how the “Edge of Tomorrow” sequel is progressing.

Titled “Live, Die, Repeat, Repeat” the upcoming follow-up to the critically well-regard Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt-led sci-fi film grossed $370.5 million at the box office from a $180 million budget, but really took off when it hit home video as word of mouth spread.

The fanbase for the film grew so loud that Liman, Cruise, Blunt, and writer Christopher McQuarrie came together to hash out a second part that serves as both sequel and prequel. That project is in development and Liman tells Collider it’s now mostly a matter of scheduling:

“Tom and Emily [Blunt] and I are really excited to go do it. We have a script. We’re just trying to find a time to schedule it, between my schedule and Emily’s and Tom’s. But it’s one of these things where it’s a sequel whose origins come from the best possible place, which is, it’s not a studio saying, ‘Hey, we think we can make some more money. Let’s just stamp out another one.’

This sequel originated with fans of the original film who continually came up to Tom and myself and Emily and told us how much they loved the movie and would we ever consider a sequel. And enough people said that to me and to Tom and to Emily that we finally sat down and said, ‘What would a sequel even look like?’ We ended up with Chris McQuarrie coming up with a great story.”

Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse have penned the script under McQuarrie’s supervision. Liman just started shooting “Chaos Walking,” while Cruise and McQuarrie are finishing up “Mission: Impossible 6” with Cruise shooting the “Top Gun” sequel shortly. This suggests the earliest filming could begin is end of next year, more likely sometime in 2019.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Luc Besson Denies He’s Doing “Lucy 2”






Filmmaker Luc Besson has not only denied that a sequel to 2014’s “Lucy” is in active development, he’s also slamming the journalists who originally covered the story.

The story hit last week in which EuropaCorp CEO Marc Shmuger confirmed at a shareholders meeting that they were actively working on the sequel and Besson had already turned in a script for the second chapter.

Now the “Leon” and “The Fifth Element” director, coming off the disappointing results for “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” has denied the report in an Instagram posting and has slammed the media for spreading it:

“No I do not prepare Lucy 2. Neither yesterday nor tomorrow. Yet this fake news has been around the world thanks to you [journalists] …. You will say to me: ‘it is not very serious’. It is true, you are right … but it is false and normally this word should not be part of your vocabulary, because if we can no longer you believe, how do we hold a democracy? Our freedom depends on your integrity.”

The criticism comes despite his own studio head making the announcement. The first film, made for only $40 million, grossed $463.4 million globally.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Re-Writes Delay Condon’s “Bride of Frankenstein”




Days after director Bill Condon revealed the upcoming remake of “Bride of Frankenstein” was targeting a February production start, the project has now been delayed.

Deadline reports that Universal Pictures has hit pause on pre-production on the project so that screenwriter David Koepp can perform rewrites on the script. In a statement about this second film in their ‘Dark Universe’ initiative, they say:

“After thoughtful consideration, Universal Pictures and director Bill Condon have decided to postpone Bride of Frankenstein. None of us want to move too quickly to meet a release date when we know this special movie needs more time to come together. Bill is a director whose enormous talent has been proven time and again, and we all look forward to continuing to work on this film together.”

Universal also confirmed that the film will not make its previously-set February 14th 2019 release date, with an untitled Blumhouse horror film to be slotted in there instead.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Gal Gadot Up For “Bride of Frankenstein”?





Earlier this week came word that Universal Pictures had effectively pushed pause on the Bill Condon-directed remake of 1935 horror classic “Bride of Frankenstein” so that David Koepp can do further script re-writes.

Pre-production had gotten underway in London for a February 1st production start, but the crew has been told to go home for now. Now it has also been confirmed the movie has been pulled from its February 14th 2019 release date, with a new one not yet scheduled.

The bigger question though is who will star? At last report, Angelina Jolie and Javier Bardem are being sought for the lead roles and all indications are the actors aren’t walking away from the film – but they aren’t committing either until the new script comes in.

The Wrap now adds that if Jolie falls through, and with her commitment to “Maleficent 2” filming early next year she might, Condon has set his sights on “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot as a potential backup choice.

For now, much of the decisions depend upon scheduling which won’t be locked down for some time yet.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Disney Scraps Its Animated “Gigantic”





Disney Pictures’ “Gigantic,” a planned animated film based on the Jack and the Beanstalk fable, has been scrapped. The film was originally set to be released in 2018, then moved to 2020.

Set in Spain during the Age of Exploration, the film was to follow adventure-seeker Jack as he discovers a world of giants hidden within the clouds. He hatches a grand plan with a 60-foot-tall, 11-year-old girl, and agrees to help her find her way home.

Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull gave a statement about the project’s collapse:

“It’s impossible to know when we begin a project how the creative process will unfold, and sometimes, no matter how much we love an idea or how much heart goes into it, we find that it just isn’t working. With Gigantic, we’ve come to that point, and although it’s a difficult decision, we are ending active development for now. We are focusing our energies on another project that has been in the works, which we’ll be sharing more about soon, now set for Thanksgiving 2020.”

“Inside Out” co-writer Meg LeFauve and Nathan Greno penned the film while “Frozen” songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez were also on board.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Lionsgate Adapting “Children of Time”





Colby Day has been set to pen an adaptation of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s sci-fi epic novel “Children of Time” for Lionsgate.

The story is set on a planet inhabited by evolved spiders uplifted by human scientists, and their later discovery by the last humans alive in the universe.

The work contrasts the societal development of the spiders and the barbaric descent of the starship crew of last humans.

Day most recently worked on the Blacklist-making grounded sci-fi drama “In the Blink of an Eye”.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Boone To Pen “The Talisman” Adaptation





Filmmaker Josh Boone (“The Fault in Our Stars”) is seguing from one Stephen King adaptation to another.

Boone has been set to pen the big screen adaptation of the Stephen King and Peter Straub 1984 fantasy novel “The Talisman” for Amblin Entertainment. The project was originally planned as a TV series, but now is being reconceived as a feature which Frank Marshall will produce.

The novel follows a twelve-year-old boy who, in a bid to save his mother who is dying from cancer, sets out to find a crystal to save her. His journey takes him across the U.S. and into a strange mirror world called the Territories, and is taught how to ‘flip’ between the two worlds.

Boone was writing a film adaptation of King’s “The Stand,” but the project was put on hold and is now seemingly going the opposite way of “The Talisman” in that it looks to be becoming an event series at last report. Boone also penned an adaptation of King’s “Revival” which remains in development.

Boone recently completed filming “X-Men: The New Mutants” with post-production underway on that ahead of a 2018 release.