October 31, 2008

A Remake of "Forbidden Planet" AND A Writer for Spiderman 4?

Seems as such, as these stories in The Hollywood Reporter indicate:
-J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of the Clint Eastwood-directed "Changeling," is penning a long-in-the-works update of sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet" for Warner Bros. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.Warners picked up the project on the down-low earlier this year. As late as last year, it was set up at DreamWorks with David Twohy attached to direct. Prior to that, New Line had it. James Cameron, Nelson Gidding and Stirling Silliphant have been associated with the remake over the years.Released in 1956, "Planet" told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet. The movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie the Robot.Matt Reilly is overseeing for the studio.While CAA-repped Straczynski is generating some heat for "Changeling," he is better known for his sci-fi and comic book work. He created TV shows "Babylon 5" and "Jeremiah," and worked on "Ninja Assassin" for Silver and the Wachowski Brothers.Straczynski also has feature projects "The Flickering Light" and "Lensman" with Ron Howard at Imagine Entertainment, and "They Marched Into Sunlight," with Paul Greengrass directing, at Playtone and Universal.
and:
-Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire got out of a rabbit hole, only to be ensnared by a spider's web.Lindsay-Abaire, who won a Pulitzer in 2007 for his drama "Rabbit Hole," is in final negotiations to write "Spider-Man 4" for Columbia.Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are back as director and star, respectively, as are series producers Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad. Kirsten Dunst also is expected to return for the latest movie featuring the Marvel Comics character.Plot details are under lock and key.Columbia always has gone off the beaten path during the development process when hiring writers for the "Spider-Man" movies. Alvin Sargent, a veteran scribe best known for 1973's "Paper Moon" and 1980's "Ordinary People," served as a writer on the second and third films. Michael Chabon, another Pulitzer winner, also worked on "Spider-Man 2."James Vanderbilt previously wrote a draft of "Spider-Man 4." Lindsay-Abaire's "Rabbit Hole," which starred Cynthia Nixon and Tyne Daly, hit the Broadway stage in 2006 and won four Tonys, including best play. The writer also is known for the play "Fuddy Meers."Lindsay-Abaire has said in interviews that his plays tend to be "peopled with outsiders in search of clarity," which would put his work on sympathetic terms with Peter Parker, who in his classic incarnation is the perpetual outsider.The choice of scribe also signals that that filmmakers are intent to focus on character, something that critics said got lost in the third installment.Gersh-repped Lindsay-Abaire, now writing the book and lyrics for the Broadway musical adaptation of "Shrek," has dipped his toe in Tinseltown before, with his adaptation of "Inkheart" due in January. He is also adapting "Rabbit" for 20th Century Fox and Nicole Kidman. Columbia had no comment.
-Thoughts?

2 comments:

  1. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! I was afraid this day was going to come, and now it has. Why do they have to remake these great classics just to turn a profit? I've already had to suffer through The Haunting, House of Wax, House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts, and soon Day the Earth Stood Still (this is true blasphemy). This really makes me mad because "Forbidden Planet" is one of my all time favorites, I do not want to see this become another staple of contemporary sci-fi action/horror. I was having a good day until this news.

    ReplyDelete