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Though director Len Wiseman's Total Recall differs significantly from director Paul Verhoeven's 1990 movie in many ways — no trip to Mars and oxygen-producing alien artifact being the most dramatic departures — Wiseman has included several nods to Verhoeven's movie in his remake. The first teaser trailer showed us that Colin Farrell's Quaid will use a memory-implantation machine that is virtually identical to the one that Arnold Schwarzenegger used, and subsequent trailers have shown how certain scenes in the new movie will mirror those in the original (and, yes, the 3-breasted mutant prostitute will make be back). Now, a new preview clip from the remake has been released that not only offers an updated take on another classic scene from the original, but a surprise cameo homage.
watch the new preview clip >> Posted 07.30.12 by BrentJS -
Now that Sony and MGM have a director (Jose Padilha, Elite Squad) and a lead actor (Joel Kinnaman, The Killing) ready to work on their upcoming remake of Robocop, the studios are making further changes to the script, now in the hands of its third screenwriter.
The original script was written by Josh Zetumer, who was hired at the same time as Padilha last March. Gran Torino scribe Nick Schenk, who is collaborating with Padilha on another project, was hired to do rewrites in January, but apparently it wasn't enough. Variety reports that Sony has brought in writer James Vanderbilt to do a "polish" on the script. Sony is very high on Vanderbilt after his work on The Amazing Spider-Man and reportedly outbid other studios for Vanderbilt's "Die Hard meets Air Force One" spec script White House Down.
What changes Vanderbilt will make are unknown, though fans can already expect that the latest RoboCop won't be a retread of director Paul Verhoeven's 1987 original. While fans may or may not have been pleased by Kinnaman's recent admission that his version of the armor won't include the visor used in the previous RoboCop movies, the 32-year-old Swedish-American actor told Collider that he will "fight" to keep the movie rated R.
more from kinnaman on RoboCop >> Posted 04.03.12 by Ryan -
It seems Darren Aronofsky will have to wait a little longer to resurrect the Robocop franchise, if he ever gets a chance at all. Moviehole reports that Aronfsky's reimagining has been nixed by MGM in the midst of the studio's financial woes.
The info comes from one of the writers for Robocop Archive, who explained in writing some other reasons for the project's momentary freezing.
I've spoken with Phoenix Pictures [and] asked them about the status of Robocop ... they told me that the project is on hold. The problem is that Mary Parent, Chairperson of MGM, wants a 3-D movie for the new Robocop. But, as you know, Darren Aronofsky is a real artist and he's not interested in Gimmicks like 3-D, CGI, Filming digital. He wants to do everything as real (organic) as possible just like The Fountain.
With the success of Avatar, it's unlikely that public lust for 3-D will subside anytime soon, so that's bad news for Aronofsky, if he sticks to his guns. It's too bad, because Aronfosky's plans for the movie did not sound similar to Paul Verhoeven's 1987 movie in any way, but seemed like a brand new imagining of the story in a completely different setting.
In the meantime, Aronofsky is busy shooting Black Swan, which stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, and Winona Ryder, and is due out sometime later this year. He will also direct and produce a movie based on the robbery committed at the Securitas Depot in England three years ago. The crime, which was covered extensively by the BBC, ended up representing the largest amount of currency stolen in a single heist in Britain's history.
Posted 01.07.10 by reelz -
Remember the following phone exchange in Scream 2 between Randy (played by Jamie Kennedy) and the psychotic killer?
Killer: What's your favorite scary movie?
Randy: Showgirls. Absolutely frightening.
Well amazingly, JoBlo.com writes that German site Extratipp is circulating a rumor that the Paul Verhoeven flesh-fest — notorious for its asinine plot and atrocious acting — might be getting the sequel treatment.
Unfortunately (or fortunately ... we can't decide), this alleged project has nothing to do with Verhoeven. Some unknown named Marc Vorlander is supposedly developing the sequel, which is titled Showgirls: Story of Hope. The title references the name of one of the original movie's minor characters, who was played by Rena Riffel.
Normally, if you see a character's name in the title of a movie, you expect that character to last. But no, apparently Hope kicks the bucket very early. JoBlo threw the content of the German post into a Google translator and got the following excerpt:
It's about stripper who died from a dose of contaminated cocaine. Her brother comes to Frankfurt to find the responsible and revenge.
Okay, when Alfred Hitchcock surprised audiences with the death of Janet Leigh's Marion Crane midway through Psycho, at least he dropped a hint by not having Leigh's name as the first credit. And he certainly didn't title the movie Psycho: Story of Marion.
We'd like to think that this Vorlander character is only joking, but we'll have to wait and see.
Posted 10.05.09 by reelz -
The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Natalie Portman will star in Black Swan, the next movie from director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream). The "supernatural thriller" has Portman playing a veteran ballerina who develops a rivalry with another dancer — who may, or may not, be a product of the her imagination.
Black Swan was originally picked up in 2007 by Universal, which eventually let it go. The Creative Artists Agency represents both Portman and Aronofsky and is pitching the project to other studios. It is being produced by Phoenix Pictures and Aronfosky's own Protozoa Pictures. John MacLaughlin wrote the original script, which was later revised by Protozoa's Mark Heyman.
The movie could begin shooting sometime this year, if it sells quickly. Aronofsky is also at work on a remake of Paul Verhoeven's 1987 sci-fi action hit RoboCop.
Posted 06.16.09 by reelz -
Variety reports that Columbia Pictures has signed Kurt Wimmer to pen the screenplay for an upcoming remake of Total Recall, the 1990 sci-fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Paul Verhoeven.
Wimmer previously wrote the scripts for the surprisingly fun remake of The Thomas Crown Affair and his own directorial debut, the Matrix knock-off Equilibrium (starring Christian Bale). He's currently at work on Salt, a Philip Noyce-directed thriller starring Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber.
Columbia announced the Recall remake earlier this year, which will reportedly be a "contemporized adaptation" of the story. No actors, directors, or release dates have been announced yet for the project.
Posted 06.03.09 by reelz -
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Halle Berry is in talks to star in The Surrogate, directed by Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers).
The thriller marks Verhoeven's return to Hollywood after helming the critically acclaimed Dutch-language Black Book and the period piece The Winter Queen, which is still in production.
The script for The Surrogate will stem from the novel by Kathryn Mackel. If cast, Berry would play the part of Bethany Dolan, a wife struggling to bear children. The Dolans find a surrogate mother in Sable, a computer expert who convinces the couple to let her into the family. Sable, however, has a shady past that becomes more of a danger as the pregnancy progresses. The cover of the novel labels it as a "Christian Chiller," although it's unclear if the religious and supernatural elements of the story will translate to the big-screen adaptation.
Posted 06.01.09 by reelz -
According to Cinema Blend, Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers) has signed with 20th Century Fox to direct the big-screen adaptation of Kathryn Mackel's The Surrogate. This marks Verhoeven's return to Hollywood fare after directing the critically acclaimed 2006 Dutch-language movie Black Book and the period piece The Winter Queen, which is still in production.
Mackel's novel tells the story of the Dolans, a couple struggling to bear a child. They find a surrogate mother in Sable, a computer expert who convinces the couple to let her into the family. Sable, however, has a shady past that becomes more of a danger as the pregnancy progresses. The cover of the novel labels it as a "Christian Chiller," although it's unclear if the religious and supernatural elements of the story will translate to the big-screen adaptation.
Ralph Winter, who oversaw the X-Men movies (including the recent X-Men Origins: Wolverine), is producing The Surrogate along with Deborah Giarratana, Robin Guthrie and Susana Zepeda. The current draft of the script was written by Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor. No casting decisions or release dates have been announced.
Posted 05.29.09 by reelz -
Now that he's been freed from the schackles of the James Bond franchise, Pierce Brosnan is poised to pursue sequels to his other, less well-known movies. Variety reports that Brosnan, who played 007 in four Bond flicks before handing over the reigns to Daniel Craig, has signed on for a sequel to his 1999 hit remake The Thomas Crown Affair, in which he played a wealthy businessman with a penchant for burglary. Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, Hollow Man) set to direct. Shooting begins in January.
One can only hope that a Remington Steele movie will follow.
Posted 11.13.07 by reelz