-
An live-action adaptation of Preacher has been in the works for years, with Columbia Pictures hiring Sam Mendes to direct the movie in October 2008. Then in January 2009, screenwriter John August announced that he had been hired to write a screenplay adaptation. But the project went nowhere after Mendes dropped out of Preacher to direct the upcoming James Bond 23.
Now I Am Number Four director D.J. Caruso has used Twitter to announce he's been hired to direct the adaptation.
Caruso going back to "the dark side" >> Posted 02.24.11 by Ryan -
Walt Disney Pictures has distributed a press release containing the official synopsis of director Tim Burton's new stop-motion animated movie, Frankenweenie, a feature-length adaptation of his 1984 short of the same name that starred Barret Oliver, Daniel Stern and Shelley Duvall.
After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.
more about the Frankenweenie feature, plus the 1984 short >> Posted 02.16.11 by BrentJS -
Jessica Alba's not making friends in the screenwriting world. Her recent interview in the December issue of Elle magazine drew ire from scribblers including screenwriter John August (Go, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). The Fantastic Four actress gave some frank commentary about her career in the interview, admitting that she hasn't "been swimming in the deep end" with some of her latest projects. And once she turned her commentary towards the craft of scriptwriting, the actress exposed herself to the swift jabs of the mighty pen.
Good actors, never use the script unless it’s amazing writing. All the good actors I’ve worked with, they all say whatever they want to say.
August took exception to Alba's comments in his blog, offering his reasons why her comments were incorrect.
Read August's comments >> Posted 11.08.10 by Ryan -
This year was already shaping up to be a busy one for actor Johnny Depp, but now it appears that it's going to get even busier. Depp is currently in Venice for the start of principal photography on his new movie, The Tourist, with Angelina Jolie, even as his latest collaboration with director Tim Burton, Alice in Wonderland, opens this week.
Depp will follow up The Tourist by reprising the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is slated to begin shooting this summer in Hawaii. And Depp recently confirmed in a brief statement to ScreenCrave that he expects to star in another Tim Burton movie by the end of the year, a big-screen adaptation of the '60s goth soap opera Dark Shadows.
I see it going this year, I hope it does. I do yeah. We'll work like dogs to get there.
Assuming there are no major problems with the Pirates production, Depp should be free in time to meet the projected "September/October" start date producer Graham King gave for Dark Shadows back in December. Depp's production company is producing the adaptation with King's GK Films and Warner Bros.
Dark Shadows is something of a passion project for Depp, who admitted to being "obsessed" with the vampiric main character in the TV show, Barnabas Collins (played by Jonathan Frid), since he was "five or six." Writer John August, who has worked with Depp and Burton twice previously on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride, is writing the screenplay.
Posted 02.28.10 by BrentJS -
As far back as July 2007, Johnny Depp was rumored to be interested in starring in a theatrical version of the '60s TV series Dark Shadows. In August of this year, Tim Burton, who has directed Depp in several movies, said "the plan" was for him to direct Depp in the Dark Shadows adaptation, but he admitted that it was still in the "early days" of the project.
Now, producer Graham King has confirmed that Depp and Burton will follow up their Alice in Wonderland pairing with Dark Shadows.
We're actually going to shoot that film next September/October with Tim Burton and Johnny.
We've been working on the script a lot, even though [Burton's] working on Alice. We've been given a script. John August wrote the first screenplay. We're making some changes, but the film's going to be in production, as I say, September or October of next year.
Posted 12.08.09 by BrentJS -
Last we heard, the Shazam! movie wasn't quite as dead as screenwriter John August declared it to be. Warner Bros., who picked up the movie rights last year, found a quick and easy solution to kick start the project: Hire two new writers.
Newcomer Bill Birch will write the script while DC comic book writer Geoff Johns will co-author the movie's story with Birch. No word on whether Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is still set to play villain Black Adam, though Peter Segal is still attached to direct.
Shazam! follows the adventures of Billy Batson, a teenager who can turn into superhero Captain Marvel merely by saying the word "shazam," which is an acronym for the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Aries, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury.
Posted 08.22.09 by Ryan -
The Shazam movie, declared "dead" by screenwriter John August, may still have a pulse. Shazam producer Michael Uslan told MTV News that things might not be as dire as August wrote in his blog: "I will only say one thing -- and all I will do is quote Samuel Clemens to you. This is direct from Captain Marvel himself: 'The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'"
Uslan did not elaborate, so what this means exactly is uncertain, but it does gives a glimmer of hope to an on-and-off project which may or may not be directed by Peter Segal.
Posted 01.14.09 by Ryan -
In a post on screenwriter John August's blog, the Shazam scripter sent out the sad news that his efforts on Billy Batson and the Legend of Shazam are over, and that the project is for all intents and purposes "dead."
August gives an insider's peek at the maddening process of scripting for commercial entertainment. A few behind-the-scenes frustrations were the change of management brought on by the dissolution of New Line Cinema, the Writer's Guild strike, and studio anxiety over what makes a box office blockbuster.
Here's a bit from the blog:
By the time I got back [from travel to France], the project was dead. By 'dead,' I mean that it won't be happening. I don't think it's on the studio's radar at all. It may come back in another incarnation, with another writer, but I can say with considerable certainty that it won't be the version I developed.
Yes, that sucks. And obviously, I can only share my interpretation of what transpired. There were dozens of meetings and phone calls in which I had no participation. As a reader, you should certainly consider the possibility that I wrote sh**ty scripts they simply didn't want to make. Because Warners controls copyright on them, I can't put them in the library for you to read yourself. So you have to decide whether to take my word on it.
Posted 01.06.09 by reelz -
Hard at work on his draft of Shazam!, screenwriter John August provided us with a glimpse of what we can expect to see in the upcoming live-action Captain Marvel flick:
"The underlying premise is funny, so it's not just Spider-Man plus jokes," August revealed at last week's press day for his directorial debut The Nines. "There's something inherently funny about a 13-year-old boy who gets to become a big, studly superhero, and sort of what's a priority to him wouldn't be a priority to a normal person who gets those powers."
Hmmm...sounds like Big with explosions.
August promised, however, that Shazam! will appeal to more than just adolescent boys and other people who like movies about adolescent boys. "The thirteen-year-olds who who are reflected in the movie will really love the movie, and I think other people will too. At this budget, it's gotta be one of those classic 'four quadrants,' where everybody and their brother goes to see it."
Shazam! is set for a release sometime next year. The Nines opens this Friday, August 31st.
Posted 08.29.07 by reelz