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

[Doctor Omega]

The Fifth “Lethal Weapon” Is Dead?





After previous statements indicating a fifth and final “Lethal Weapon” film was effectively a go barring some scheduling issues, filmmaker Richard Donner is stepping back from the talk – so much so he’s now suggesting the potential sequel might be dead.

Donner has been teasing the project for a few years, but things picked up steam late last year with the fourth film scribe Channing Gibson returning and stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover also said to be “seriously exploring the idea for another entry.”

While appearing on the Maltin On Movies podcast (via ScreenRant), Donner revealed the film was to be titled “Lethal Finale” but negotiations have broken down and problems behind-the-scenes may have effectively scuttled the whole thing:

“I’m ready to do 5. It’s called Lethal Finale. It’s very dark. And we were all set to go and now Warner Bros. is doing their old-fashioned tricks. Not Warner Bros., there’s this guy who runs the studio who’s great but they have these people in the legal department who do the negotiating in the most counter-productive way. They should be sent to a studio and work with the producers and directors and actors, and learn what makes a film, and then negotiate. But it’s just embarrassing. I wanted to end it on an emotional note, and I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

The original “Lethal Weapon,” penned by Shane Black, remains a classic of the buddy action-comedy genre and the second film is also considered a strong follow-up. Worldwide the series has grossed $955 million across the four films.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The Gum Thief
“Generation X” author Douglas Coupland is set to adapt his own 2007 novel “The Gum Thief” into a feature for J.B Sugar’s No Equal Entertainment. Sugar will direct the movie.

The story follows Roger and Bethany, two Staples employees from North Vancouver with very different backgrounds – he’s a middle-aged alcoholic in the midst of an ugly divorce, and a young goth working in a temp job. She soon learns he is writing a book with a character based on her.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The Great Alone
TriStar Pictures has picked up the film rights to Kristin Hannah’s new novel “The Great Alone”. Elizabeth Cantillon and Laura Quicksiver, who are producing the Michelle MacLaren-directed film adaptation of Hannah’s “The Nightingale,” are also producing this.

The story revolves around a family who moves to Alaska to live off the grid and find some peace and freedom, but once winter comes, it becomes all about survival with no one around to help them.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Chris Van Allsburg
“Jumanji,” “Zathura” and “Polar Express” author Chris Van Allsburg and his producing partners William Teitler, Ted Field and Mike Weber have set a production deal at 20th Century Fox with plans to generate new tent pole features based on Van Allsburg’s titles, his future books and ideas currently in the works. The deal comes hot on the heels of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” which has so far grossed $823 million worldwide for Sony.

 

[Doctor Omega]

What a powerful position for an author to be in....

Even the books he has yet to write, already optioned to be movies....

 

[Doctor Omega]

Untitled Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean Biopic
Toby Kebbell is set to star as William Ralph ‘Dixie’ Dean, one of England’s most legendary soccer stars, in a new biopic to shoot later this year. The film will deal with his career, his little-known struggle with mental-health issues, and how his family, notably his daughter Barbara, helped him cope. Simon Aboud (“This Beautiful Fantastic”) will direct from a script from theater director and writer Matt Aston and John McEvoy.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Dry
Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights to the Neal and Jarrod Shusterman’s thriller novel “Dry” with the authors to write the script. Trevor Engelson, Isaac Klausner and Marty Bowen will produce.

The story deals with a California state sponsored deal for diverted water falling through and the water mains in Southern California running completely dry as a crippling drought hits. Stores of bottled water last only a matter of days, and a group of teenage friends are forced to band together when chaos breaks out in their community with a frightening survival scenario ensuing.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Devil’s Punchbowl
Keshet Films has launched development of “Devil’s Punchbowl” which follows a deputy who vanished in the California desert in 1998. His body was never found and some friends and former colleagues believe he either ran away to a new life or was murdered. Mandy Tagger-Brockey and Adi Ezroni will produce while Eli Kooris & Joshua Shaffer are penning the script.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Varietal
Universal Pictures has picked up the original sci-fi spec script “Varietal” from newcomer scribe and gemologist Adam Bloom. Michael De Luca and Lucy Kitada will produce the sci-fi-based psychological thriller centered on a married couple.

 

[Doctor Omega]

S.T.A.G.S.
Peter Craig (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay”) has been set to adapt the script for the film adaptation of M.A. Bennett’s young adult novel “S.T.A.G.S.” which has been setup at Fox 2000 and Chernin Entertainment.

Following a first-year student at an exclusive English boarding school who finds herself and nine other students becoming prey to be hunted by the ‘Medievals,’ the school’s snootiest clique.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Linklater Filming Mysterious Moon Landing Film





Filmmaker Richard Linklater has revealed new details about his secret next film in a new interview with The Houston Chronicle.

Linklater confirmed he will be shooting a coming-of-age story in Houston, Texas where it will be set in 1969 during the moon landing. The story will follow a young boy’s perspective of the events about which Linklater says: “You had so much going on in Houston at once: NASA, the Medical Center, the Astrodome. There was a communal atmosphere. You had all these kids with parents working at NASA for a common goal.”

Linklater’s production team has called for any Houston residents with home videos or archival footage available from the 1960s to potentially be included in the yet-to-be-named project which aims to be in cinemas in 2019 for the moon landing’s 50th anniversary.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Zemeckis Goes Sci-Fi For “Steel Soldiers”





“Back to the Future” and “Contact” filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is returning to the sci-fi genre as he’s developing and producing “Steel Soldiers,” a new action film setup at STX Entertainment and China’s Alibaba Pictures.

The story is set in a futuristic world where humans and androids fight shoulder to shoulder. The film follows a disgraced Special Forces officer forced to train a new team of high-tech, but imperfect android soldiers – making them elite military officers who set out on a deadly mission to rescue their creator.

Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, David Styne and Jackie Levine will produce while Ken Kaufman (“Space Cowboys”) is penning the script. Plans to expand the project beyond just a feature and onto other platforms are also underway.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Run Away with Me
Amber Heard has been cast as the lead in the Fred Grivois-directed romantic thriller “Run Away With Me” from Sentinel Pictures and XYZ Films. Matthew Ian Cirulnick is penning the script while Adam Brawer and David Beitchman will produce. Filming begins later this year.

The story is centered on Tom and Kimberly (Heard), star-crossed lovers escaping the dark criminal underbelly of the European modelling industry. He is an American visiting Paris for a bachelor party and falls for the beautiful, mysterious Kimberly.

 

[Doctor Omega]

The Light We Lost
Jill Santopolo will pen the adaptation of her bestselling debut novel “The Light We Lost” for Southpaw Entertainment. Richard B. Lewis and Gabrielle Jerou-Tabak will produce.

The story follows a young couple who meet at Columbia University on the morning of 9/11 and their relationship to one another – and to the world – is forged in the crucible of that day. They both decide that they want their lives to mean something quickly and become inseparable.


He was the first person to inspire her, to move her, to truly understand her. Was he meant to be the last?

Lucy is faced with a life-altering choice. But before she can make her decision, she must start her story—their story—at the very beginning.

Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on a day that changes both of their lives forever. Together, they decide they want their lives to mean something, to matter. When they meet again a year later, it seems fated—perhaps they’ll find life’s meaning in each other. But then Gabe becomes a photojournalist assigned to the Middle East and Lucy pursues a career in New York. What follows is a thirteen-year journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, betrayals, and, ultimately, of love. Was it fate that brought them together? Is it choice that has kept them away? Their journey takes Lucy and Gabe continents apart, but never out of each other’s hearts.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Michael Bay Wanted To Helm “Lobo”





Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are reportedly seeking Michael Bay to direct the long in-development movie based on the comics property “Lobo”.

Bay has reportedly met about the project and offered some notes that screenwriter Jason Fuchs (“Wonder Woman”) will incorporate into a new draft which they will present to Bay hoping to get him to sign – for now there’s no official offer though. One issue is budget, the current script would cost upwards of $200 million – a number neither the studio or Bay wants.

Warners is reportedly considering “Lobo” as their answer to Fox’s “Deadpool” franchise – fourth wall breaking anti-heroes with cult followings. Lobo is a Czarnian bounty hunter who is nearly indestructible and drives a space-faring motorcycle across the cosmos in search of his next target.

Bay currently isn’t attached to direct any other projects.

 

[Doctor Omega]

James Bobin To Helm An “Action Man” Movie





Director James Bobin (“The Muppets,” “Alice Through the Looking Glass”) has reportedly signed on to direct a film based on Hasbro’s “Action Man” toy line at Paramount Players.

Created in 1966 as an officially licensed knock-off of “G.I. Joe” for non-American markets, the creation has included standard soldiers, sailors, desert fighters, adventurers and even spacemen.

Simon Farnaby (“Paddington 2”) is writing the screenplay for the film adaptation.

 

[Doctor Omega]

I feel strongly that, whoever plays Action Man.... she needs, first and foremost, to be a good actress.

 

[ant-mac]

I feel strongly that, whoever plays Action Man.... she needs, first and foremost, to be a good actress.

I'm sure Barbie can handle the role.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Elgort Lead “Finest Kind”





Jake Gyllenhaal, “Baby Driver” star Ansel Elgort, and singer and “Spider-Man: Homecoming” actress Zendaya have been cast in the upcoming crime thriller “Finest Kind” at Krasnoff/Foster Entertainment, 30WEST and STXinternational.

Brian Helgeland (“A Knight’s Tale”) is penning and directing the film about two brothers (Gyllenhaal and Elgort) who strike a dangerous deal with a crime syndicate that draws them into the Boston underworld. As pressures mount, sacrifices must be made and bonds are put to the test.

Producer Gary Foster says in a statement: “Brian and I have dreamed about making this film together for a long time. Brian’s directorial vision and powerful screenplay which draws on his experiences growing up in the tough town of New Bedfrod, Mass., has attracted a stellar cast lead by Jake, Ansel and Zendaya. I couldn’t be more thrilled!”

Russ Krasnoff will also produce. No production schedule has been given.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Elisabeth Moss To Play Rosemary Kennedy





“The Handmaid’s Tale” star Elisabeth Moss has scored the title role in the feature “A Letter From Rosemary Kennedy” from filmmaker Ritesh Batra (“The Sense of an Ending,” “Our Souls at Night”).

The film will tell the little-known but haunting story of the eldest sister of President John F. Kennedy, a developmentally challenged but vibrant beautiful woman who spent a lifetime hiding from public view and ended up being institutionalized (and suffering a botched lobotomy) because of her father Joseph Kennedy and his political ambitions.

The film is based on personal letters illustrating her wish to connect with her family and how her story became a catalyst for change. Nick Yarborough penned the Black List spec script with the film to be produced by Moss, Jason Michael Berman, and Kevin Turen.

Rosemary Kennedy in 1938, three years before her lobotomy, ready to be presented at Court.

Rose Marie "Rosemary" Kennedy (September 13, 1918 – January 7, 2005) was the oldest daughter born to Joseph, Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and a sister of President John F. Kennedy, and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy.

Rosemary displayed behavioral problems, resulting in less academic and sporting ability than her siblings. Her father arranged one of the first prefrontal lobotomies for her at the age of 23, but it failed and left her incapacitated permanently. Rosemary spent the rest of her life in an institution in Jefferson, Wisconsin, with minimal contact from her family. Her condition may have inspired her sister, Eunice, to initiate the Special Olympics in 1962.



Lobotomy

Placid and easygoing as a child and teenager, the maturing Rosemary Kennedy became increasingly assertive and rebellious. She was also reportedly subject to violent mood changes. Some observers have since attributed this behavior to her inability to conform to siblings who were expected to perform to high standards, as well as the hormonal surges associated with puberty. In any case, the family had difficulty dealing with her stormy moods and reckless behavior. Rosemary had begun to sneak out at night from the convent school in Washington, D.C., where she was cared for and educated.[13] Her occasional erratic behavior frustrated her parents, who expected all of their children to behave appropriately, be goal-oriented, and act competitively. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. was especially worried that his daughter's behavior would shame and embarrass the family and possibly damage his political career.

In November 1941, when Rosemary Kennedy was 23, doctors told Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. that a new neurosurgical procedure, lobotomy, would help calm her mood swings and stop her occasional violent outbursts.[15][16] (About 80 lobotomies, 80% on women, had been performed in the United States by the time.) He decided that his daughter should have the lobotomy performed; however, he did not inform his wife Rose of this until after the procedure was completed. Rosemary was strapped to the operating table.

"We went through the top of the head, I think she was awake. She had a mild tranquilizer. I made a surgical incision in the brain through the skull. It was near the front. It was on both sides. We just made a small incision, no more than an inch." The instrument Dr. Watts used looked like a butter knife. He swung it up and down to cut brain tissue. "We put an instrument inside", he said. As Dr. Watts cut, Dr. Freeman put questions to Rosemary. For example, he asked her to recite the Lord's Prayer or sing "God Bless America" or count backwards..... "We made an estimate on how far to cut based on how she responded." ..... When she began to become incoherent, they stopped.

After the lobotomy, it quickly became apparent that the procedure was not successful. Kennedy's mental capacity diminished to that of a two-year-old child. She could not walk or speak intelligibly and was incontinent.

Aftermath
After the procedure, Rosemary was immediately institutionalized.

Archbishop Richard Cushing had told her father about St. Coletta's, an institution for more than three hundred people with disabilities, and her father traveled to and built a private house for her about a mile outside St. Coletta's main campus near Alverno House, which was designed for adults who needed lifelong care.[22] The nuns called the house "the Kennedy cottage".[23] Two Catholic nuns, Sister Margaret Ann and Sister Leona, provided her care along with a student and a woman who worked on ceramics with Rosemary three nights a week. Alan Borsari supervised the team and was able to call in specialists. Rosemary had a dog and a car that could be used to take her for rides.

In response to her condition, Rosemary's parents separated her from her family. Rose Kennedy did not visit her for twenty years.[14] Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. did not visit his daughter at the institution.[25] While her older brother John was campaigning for re-election for the Senate in 1958, the Kennedy family explained away her absence by claiming she was reclusive. At one point, a rumor circulated that Rosemary was too busy working as a teacher for disabled children to make public appearances. The Kennedy family did not publicly explain her absence until after John was elected as President of the United States in 1961. The Kennedys did not reveal that she was institutionalized because of a failed lobotomy but instead said that she was deemed "mentally retarded".

After the death of her father in 1969, Rosemary was occasionally taken to visit relatives in Florida and Washington, D.C., and to her childhood home on Cape Cod. By that time, Rosemary had learned to walk again but did so with a limp. She never regained the ability to speak clearly and her arm was palsied.[14] Her condition is sometimes credited as the inspiration for Eunice Kennedy Shriver to later found the Special Olympics,[14] although Shriver told The New York Times in 1995 that that was not exactly the case.[27] In 1983, the Kennedy family gave $1 million to renovate Alverno House. The gift added a therapeutic pool and enlarged the chapel.

Death
Rosemary Kennedy died from natural causes on January 7, 2005, at the Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, at the age of 86, with her sisters Jean, Eunice, and Patricia, and brother Ted, by her side. She was buried beside her parents in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.