Newsbites: The sequels and remakes edition!

Last updated on: May 22, 2008 at 10:29 pm by Peter T. Chattaway

Newsbites: The sequels and remakes edition! 2008-05-22T22:29:00-07:00 Peter T. Chattaway

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Let’s tackle this bunch in reverse-alphabetical order.

1. This may not technically be a remake, but it’s close enough for me: Variety reports that Mike McNulty, who produced the documentary Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997), will co-produce a dramatic film about the clash between the feds and the Branch Davidians called, simply, Waco. The director attached to the film is Rupert Wainwright, who last tackled religious themes on the big screen in the ridiculously sensationalistic supernatural thriller Stigmata (1999) — so I’m not expecting greatness here by any stretch.

2. ComingSoon.net reports that Steven Spielberg had this to say about the Tintin trilogy that he and Peter Jackson are currently developing: “We are going to make three ‘Tintin’ movies back-to-back . . . I’ll direct the first one, Peter will direct the second one. We’ll probably co-direct the third one.” One cannot help but wonder how they will divvy up the directing chores, or whether it will be easy to tell their scenes apart.

3. The Hollywood Reporter says MGM has floated the possibility of doing a re-make of Robocop (1987; my comments), one of my favorite satirical action movies of all time. Why? What’s the point? Didn’t the sequels already prove that lightning doesn’t strike twice?

Oh, and they’re also thinking of re-making Red Dawn (1984), noteworthy for being the first film that was ever rated PG-13. Again, why? What’s the point? Will it be a period piece about the Cold War? Or will the colour “red” apply to someone other than Communists now? (Oh, wait, red is one of the colours in that terror-alert system now, isn’t it. Sigh.)

4. IGN.com reports that Sylvester Stallone, while promoting the new Rambo DVDs and Blu-rays, “announced that he was working on an extended Director’s Cut of the fourth film in the series, which he plans to release under its originally conceived title of John Rambo.”

5. Variety says the makers of The Hobbit have already approached not only Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf) about reprising their characters, but they have also approached Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), whose character as I recall does not appear anywhere in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book but might, I suppose, have some part to play in that second movie they’re talking about making.

But wait — there might be more than two movies! TheOneRing.net says MGM chairman Harry Sloan recently noted that the gap between the events of The Hobbit and the events of The Lord of the Rings could allow for lots of sequels, or prequels, or spin-offs, or whatever: “There’s 80 years between the end of ‘The Hobbit’ and the beginning of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ . . . Think of the franchise.”

Let me guess: They’re doing all this to explain why, in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, Frodo and Bilbo keep talking about the “adventures”, plural, that Bilbo has been on, as though he had been on a lot of them, right?

6. Variety and the Hollywood Reporter say Summit Entertainment is planning a re-make of Highlander (1986), with producer Peter Davis providing some continuity between the new film and the old film:

Davis said the new “Highlander” will not just be a remake but will incorporate more backstory elements and prequel aspects that will be fleshed out to expand the story line in a way that is inventive yet faithful to the original story.

He also said romance was key to the series’ popularity and would be a central theme in the new film.

“I would hate to think that people viewed ‘Highlander’ as a sword fighting movie because it’s much more than that,” he said. “The issues of an immortal falling in love with a woman and knowing she’s going to grow old and die in your arms, those are very romantic issues to deal with.”

Gosh, now I’ve got Queen’s ‘Who Wants to Live Forever‘ running through my mind. And speaking of fantasy films of the 1980s that became famous for their Brian May compositions …

7. Variety and the Hollywood Reporter say Sony Pictures has acquired the film rights to Flash Gordon, the newest version of which will be directed by Michael Eisner’s son Breck, who may be best-known for directing the action-comedy flop Sahara (2005). The most recent big-screen version of this story was released in 1980, and is probably best-known now for its soundtrack by Queen.

8. Michael Moore is making a sequel — though he now disputes the term — to Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), and Karina Longworth notes that news of this movie has been out there for over a year already — except, back then, it was being produced by the Weinstein company, whereas now, it will be distributed by Overture and Paramount Vantage. Moore says the new film will be so “toxic” he probably shouldn’t make it — but, well, that’s where the money is, isn’t it?

9. Amidst all these announcements of remakes and sequels, and with so many films bringing back action heroes from the 1980s these days, isn’t it refreshing to hear the Associated Press report that Clint Eastwood says he will not be bringing back Dirty Harry, the character he played in five films between 1971 and 1988?

10. After Iron Man turned out to be such a huge success, Marvel Studios announced they would not only produce a sequel, but they would also produce a movie about Thor in 2010 and a movie about Captain America in 2011, before uniting them all — with the Incredible Hulk, who has his own movie coming out next month — in The Avengers, also in 2011.

Since then, Marvel president Kevin Feige has told the Hollywood Reporter that Thor will be “a period fantasy in the vein of ‘The Lord of the Rings'”, and yesterday he told IESB.net that The First Avenger: Captain America would be “a period piece” that takes place “during World War II, just like the comic book origin story.”

How, I wonder, will they connect the characters from these two “period” stories to the present-day characters that are currently being established in this summer’s movies? Will the period-piece films end by zapping the characters forward in time? Will The Avengers move back and forth in time? Or will the gap between the period-piece films and the present-day film be kept kind of vague, to allow for more period-piece films down the road?

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 22, 2008

Hello, New Zealand radio listeners.

Next Post

May 22, 2008 T4 -- the studio leaks a few more details

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Anglican Planet Articles BC Christian News BC Report Bible Movies Bible Review Blog Books & Culture Campus Times CBC Radio Christianity Today ChristianWeek Essays Faith Today Festival Cinemas Guide Film Journals Georgia Straight Interviews MB Herald National Catholic Register Salvationist Today's Christian Two Chairs Ubyssey Uncategorized Vancouver Courier Vancouver Sun

Select a Month August 2025 April 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 May 2024 February 2024 December 2023 May 2023 March 2023 November 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 April 2012 January 2012 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 November 2003 October 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 March 2002 January 2002 December 2001 November 2001 September 2001 August 2001 July 2001 June 2001 April 2001 March 2001 February 2001 December 2000 November 2000 October 2000 September 2000 August 2000 July 2000 June 2000 May 2000 April 2000 March 2000 January 2000 October 1999 August 1999 May 1999 April 1999 February 1999 January 1999 December 1998 November 1998 October 1998 August 1998 July 1998 June 1998 April 1998 March 1998 January 1998 November 1997 September 1997 July 1997 June 1997 April 1997 March 1997 February 1997 January 1997 December 1996 October 1996 September 1996 June 1996 March 1996 February 1996 January 1996 April 1995 November 1994 September 1994 September 1991

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Why was Moses placed in a basket in the Nile?

Select your answer to see how you score.

As part of a religious ritual To save him from Pharaoh’s decree To hide him from Egyptian soldiers To send him to another land