Variety reported that villagers in China disrupted the shooting of a remake of Mulan as revenge for an earlier movie production that also filmed in the area, but left without paying their bills.
So, this is an interesting story sure, but the part that caught me is, there's going to be a Mulan remake!? I enjoy all my watered down Disney fairytale/folklore stories, but Mulan is one of my favorites. The film is being helmed by Jingle Ma, which as far as I can tell is a Chinese production company and according to IMDB will be in English and will star Chen Kun and Zhao Wei. What I want to know is who will be playing Mushu.
If you didn't know, Heath Ledger was in the middle of filming a Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus when he died of an accidental overdose on January 22, 2008. To complete the film after Ledger's death, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, and Johnny Depp, volunteered to step in to take on different incarnations of Ledger's character.
Even with the buzz of Ledger's recent posthumus Oscar win, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the film is running into some issues finding a domestic distributor as some have described the movie as "too unusual to find a wide audience."
So, I know next to nothing about the film so far, but "too unusual" and "Johnny Depp" do sound right up my alley! You can read more about this developing story on the EW website.
I love children's books and some of my fondest memories as a kid was story time during elementary school when all the kids in the class would gather around our teacher on the floor as she read to us. Variety recently put up a slideshow of popular children's books that have been purchased by movie studios.
My personal favorite on the list has to be Judi Barrett's, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The movie rights for the book have been picked up by Sony Pictures Animation with Bill Hader and Anna Farris signing on to voice the lead characters.
The mystery of stars falling to their knees to be involved in the Twilight movie series continues. The latest victim? Drew Barrymore. ABC is reporting that Barrymore would like to lend her directorial talents (she directs movies?) to the third installment of the vampire tale. News of Barrymore's interest comes on the heels of news that Dakota Fanning has confirmed a starring role in the sequel, New Moon.
Any bets on who the next star to express their interest in the franchise? Meryl Streep? Steven Spielberg?
I'm a huge fan of Pixar and love all the innovative movies that they've produced, but I've never realized that generally speaking, they've never featured a strong female lead character. Erin Nolan over at Film.com discusses this gender problem which you can read more about here. Something to think over while you wait for Pixar's latest film, UP, to be released.
Ben Barnes (best known for his role in Prince Caspian) has recently been cast as Hamlet in the latest remake titled Ophelia. While Hamlet is the titular character in the original play, Barnes actually doesn't have the biggest role in the film as the movie will be told from the perspective of Ophelia. If you need a refresher on your British Literature, Ophelia was Hamlet's "girlfriend" who spirals into madness and eventually (SPOILER ALERT) drowns in a river.
Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play, and I believe this is the first time I've heard of a movie remake being centered on a character other than Hamlet himself. It's a fresh take on something that has been retold many times over which deserves a pat on the back in itself.
If you're hesitant about the movie because the thought of Shakespeare invokes horrible memories of high school English and pouring over Cliff Notes the night before your 5 page paper was due, rest easy, the dialogue isn't in iambic pentameter.
Jog your memory by watching the Simpsons' version of Hamlet here or clicking below:
Ralph Wiggum as Laertes and Chief Wiggum as Polonius
One of my favorite movies of all time is Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. It's thought-provoking, completely absurd at times yet never unbelievable, heart breaking, and it features one of my favorite actresses of all time, Kate Winslet, in one of her best roles. Even Jim Carrey is amazing in it! Excuse the gushing, but this lovefest has a point. Recently, there has been news that Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, will helm the new action hero film, The Green Hornet.
Really?
While Michel Gondry's directorial style doesn't immediately come to mind when considering your average superhero flick, his films are much more than visual style and often deep, complex evaluations on the human condition. I hope this tradition continues in The Green Hornet under Gondry's direction. It'd be a breathe of fresh air in a normally cliched superhero genre.
If you haven't seen Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, check out the trailer here (and go Netflix it!):
