Well hello readers. It has been a while since our last news post, and there have been several interesting developments in the world of feature-length film so this is going to be an extra-long one. Here are some brief updates, links and the indispensable RA perspective on each and every one.
Hugh Jackman and a giant robot
Lets start things off with some local flavor. Over the last three years Michigan, thanks to a generous tax credit for film producers, has become a popular filming location for all manner of movies, ranging from the low-budget indie, to major Hollywood blockbusters (if you'd like to learn more about the tax credit, this is a good site to do it). The tax credit passed the Michigan legislature in 2008. As a result, 32 feature-length films wrapped in that year alone. For some perspective, that is as many as the previous six years combined. More importantly, these are not small fish. Since January 2008 several major studio pictures have come through Michigan including Jack Black's Gulliver's Travels, 2009 Best Picture nominee Up in the Air, the Clint Eastwood picture Gran Turino, and upcoming films like Machine Gun Preacher,and the Hugh Jackman star vehicle Real Steel. Currently the Elmore Leonard novel Freaky Deaky is being adapted for the big screen with the intention of shooting in Detroit. Michael Bay is a particular fan of the Michigan scenery having made three different films here.
I realize I am being long winded here, but I'm getting to the point, I promise. The reason I bring up all of this is. The Michigan film industry just landed a major coup with Christopher Nolan opting to shoot the third installment of his Dark Night trilogy in Detroit. This was something of a surprise as Chicago was used very distinctively in the box-office smash The Dark Night. Regardless, this will bring a lot of money into the D and could be very good for both the city and the state.
Tom Hardy in Inception
Keeping with the Batman theme of the previous news tidbit. The cast for the new movie, tentatively titled The Dark Night Rises, has been clarified and all but finalized. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman are all reprising roles from the first two films. The two new cast additions are Tom Hardy (who rose to fame in Nolan's 2010 hit Inception) as the villain Bane, and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (AKA Catwoman). It sounds like Hathaway is working out well, at least according to this interview. Speaking as someone who thinks Nolan is the best big budget director currently working in Hollywood, this is super exciting.
Alright, enough with the caped crusader. We are moving on to a very different sort of superhero. A man who united a nation, who fought for equality regardless of race, a man who was the 16th President of the United States. Yes, thats right. I'm talking about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now those of you who are fans of the Starz show Party Down will be saying, "wait, that's real?" And those of you who aren't will be saying, "wait, that's real?" And the answer to both questions is yes. It is based off a graphic novel and has been discussed as a possible feature length film for a while. Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton (who previously collaborated on the animated film 9) are joining forces again to bring it to the big screen. While it appears the role of Lincoln is still up for grabs, Joaquin Phoenix (fresh of the mockumentary I'm Still Here) seems to be the front runner for the role of Henry, Lincoln's ageless, vampire-killing mentor. Despite being thoroughly sick of vampires, I must say this sounds awesome. Burton and Bekmambetov have more than enough imagination between them to make this as wild as it should be, and Phoenix seems like he could fit right into place. Color me interested.
On to the next bit of news. It appears, contrary to previous RA news reports, that the latest James Bond installment is still a go and Sam Mendes is still in line to direct. On top of this already great news, Collider.com is reporting that Javier Bardem is being seriously considered as the next Bond villain. And as if it couldn't get any better than that, Bardem claims that the new film is going to take the franchise in an entirely new direction. I have actually been less than thrilled about the direction the last two Bond films have taken the franchise, so something fresh sounds great to me. Plus we already know Bardem can do evil.
Our final piece of news for today hits a bit closer to home, at least artistically. Arguably my favorite movie of all time is the Coen brothers' 1998 comedy, The Big Lebowski. The Jeff Bridges character of the Dude, is essentially a personal hero of mine. All of this is why this little rumor I heard only today has me both nervous and potentially overjoyed. Tara Reid, or Bunny from the film, has let slip that there has been some talk of a sequel. In all likelihood this is just another in a long line of false alarms as the Coens and Bridges have all denied any involvement. The absolute only way I could ever be ok with the making of a sequel is if those three were on board, and they are not known for being especially coy. However, with all the original pieces back, it could be a blast to spend another two hours with the Dude, Walter, Jesus and all of the other unique characters that made the first so wonderful. So basically, RA is adopting a wait and see approach.
Well, that is all we've got. Until next time, the dude abides.
