Len Wiseman To Direct THE MUMMY Reboot
Deadline reports that action junkie Len Wiseman (Underworld, Die Hard 4, Total Recall) will direct The Mummy reboot for Universal. The site reveals the reboot won’t be a period film like the successful trilogy. It will be a present day set horror flick removing the comedy elements of the other films. Giving us a “darker and scarier” take on the classic monster movie. Wiseman will be bringing his excellent visual presence and flare for action sequences. While the scary script will be handled by Jon Spaiths who recently wrote Prometheus for Fox.
SPECULATION: Could Len Wiseman End Up Directing A Marvel Film?
Director Len Wiseman (Total Recall, Underworld 1-2) talked to CBM about leaving Iron Man and reveals he’s still in contact with Marvel. This gives the impression that Len could be able to make an action film like Die Hard 4 without massive amounts of blood and gore, could end up getting at one of their budding franchises in development. So, what Marvel films could Wiseman be a perfect fit for?
“Oh man, superheroes… You know, I think a lot of the superheroes that I would be interested in, a lot of them have been done. I was involved with Iron Man for about seven months after Underworld 2. I was involved with Marvel and Iron Man, and I was really excited about that one and honestly, I think at that time, there was a concern that I was too dark of a director because I had only directed a few movies, and at that time, I’d only directed Underworld and Underworld 2. And Underworld 2 was very violent, very gory, very dark and I think it freaked them out a little bit that I was too dark of a director. It wasn’t until after Die Hard 4.0 came out, which is a much lighter tone, much more fun, that Marvel called me up again…”
BLACK WIDOW: Wiseman’s Underworld franchise which he co-created has cranked four successful installments with no end in sight. All of his films feature strong female characters that aren’t just eye candy but can kick some ass and take a punch. A perfect combo for a Black Widow solo movie since a script has been in place for years which was recently re-written by Nicole Perlman (Guardians of The Galaxy). Considering they have a lead and a script in place, adding a director for a possible 2015 release date following Avengers 2 isn’t hard to imagine. We already got a hint to Natasha’s violent past with Loki’s speech about her. It could be interesting to see her past coming back to haunt her or just have her going on smaller scaled adventures. 2014 is looking to be become the first year that Marvel might just be able to start rolling out three films a year. Phase Three will likely involve Widow, Panther, Strange and Inhumans.
SHIELD: This one has been in development for a while as well. The only thing is that the events concerning SHIELD in Avengers would be continued in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It’s possible that that they might shelve the project completely and just keep it the connective tissue of the Marvel Cinematic Universe having SHIELD as a background player in the films.
HAWKEYE: Jeremy Renner is on the minds of audiences thanks to the successes of Avengers, Mission Impossible and Bourne Legacy. A Hawkeye film seems more likely than SHIELD as Renner could bring out audiences. Not to mention the character was only slightly explored in Avengers as he was a supporting villain for the majority of the movie. Barton is also a master in most weapons and highly skilled fighter leading up to him to take on the persona of Ronin. It could be interesting to see him partner up with Mockingbird, who becomes something of a love interest as well.
Xavier Gens Should Direct The Escape From New York Remake
New Line Cinema has been slowly developing a remake of John Carpenter’s cult favorite Escape From New York. Producer Neal H. Mortiz (Total Recall) got a hold of the project and screenwriter Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) took a shot at the script. Scottish actor Gerard Bulter was attached for Snake Plissken when director Len Wiseman (Total Recall, Die Hard 4) was going to make the film. Wiseman dropped out to make Total Recall instead and it lead to Butler’s exit as well. Jonathan Mostow (U-571) came on to also work on the script with some intention to direct. That also didn’t pan out so the studio looked to newcomer Breck Eisner and he’s the last name attached to the remake. Jeremy Renner had been rumored for Snake but he would later deny his involvement.
While Len Wiseman could have made a fun action film I doubt the quality would have been there. I recently watched The Divide from French director Xavier Gens (Frontier(s)) which is a mix of genres that includes psychological thriller, science fiction and post-apocalyptic horror. The film isn’t breaking new ground as it takes key elements from projects like The Walking Dead and Screamers. That being said it ended up a great little low-budget genre flick. There are even some moments it felt like an John Carpenter film, I assume it was also taking cues from his films as well.
If New Line wants a visionary director who can work with a lower budget then I believe that Gens should be given a shot. Breck Esiner’s films Sahara and The Crazies didn’t exactly set the world on fire. As a fan I don’t have confidence in his limited vision. I feel the only reason he’s being looked at is because he’ll do it on the cheap. Xavier would be an inspired choice compared to Mostow, Eisner and Brett Ratner.
Len Wiseman Says Total Recall Trailer Is Coming In March
While speaking with Collider director Len Wiseman (Underworld, Die Hard 4) revealed we could be seeing the Total Recall trailer sometime in March. He also mentioned that his director’s cut of the reboot clocks in around two hours. Don’t expect a Super Bowl ad this year as Sony passed on the $4 million price tag for a 30 second spot.
Beckinsale Doesn’t Rule Out Underworld 5
Sony Screen Gems has two rather popular genre based female driven action franchises one being the increasing terrible and misguided Resident Evil films and the other being Underworld. Underworld isn’t trying to reinvent the genre but at least has an interesting mythos and sticks to some of the basic lore principles. These films aren’t terrible but they need Kate Beckinsale for them to be engaging. Underworld: Awakening is the fourth movie in the franchise and is the return of Kate Beckinsale. I felt the Rise of The Lycans wasn’t as interesting without the modern world and Kate.
During an interview with Collider, Kate gives the impression that she wouldn’t mind returning for sequels. Even joking that she’d love to do Underworld 12 alongside Bruce Willis. It’s hinted by Frosty in the interview the new film leaves a door open for more movies. It’s not surprising considering how much money these films end up making. Right after shooting this film she jumped right into the action heavy Total Recall reboot. I doubt Kate will be done with action anytime soon.
Kate Beckinsale Talks Total Recall
Kate Beckinsale while speaking with Collider about Underworld: Awakening revealed the details about playing Lori in the Total Recall reboot. Apparently, director Len Wiseman’s take on her character was to combine both Lori (Sharon Stone) and Richter (Michael Ironside) into one single person. An interesting concept as it’s the first time we’ve heard confirmation and reason why Richter had been left out of casting announcements. The reboot is set to be released on August 3rd 2012.
“It’s going really great, and everyone’s very excited about it. I suppose the thing is, Sharon Stone’s interpretation of Lori is safe because my character is more… It is Lori, but it’s an amalgamation of Lori and Richter. So I guess one of the differences about our movie as opposed to their movie is in that period of time they needed her to have a right hand man. I am the right hand man and Lori at the same time. So it’s a little bit more of an amalgamation of a couple of parts.”
Will Yun Lee Joins Total Recall
ShowBlitz reports that Will Yun Lee has joined Len Wiseman’s Total Recall reboot. Supporting roles in the film are quickly coming together as production is expected to start up soon in Pinewood Studios Toronto. The impressive cast includes Colin Farrell, Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, John Cho, Bill Nighy and Bokeem Woodbine.
John Cho Joins Len Wiseman’s Total Recall
Casting is starting to quickly come together for Total Recall as director Len Wiseman fills the rest of the supporting roles. EW reports that John Cho (Star Trek) is the newest addition to the film. Cho will play the fast-talking rep for Rekall who convinces Douglas (Farrell) to get the memory implant. Starring as Douglas Quaid is Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Minority Report), Kate Beckinsale will play his wife Lori, Jessica Biel his revolutionary girlfriend Melina, Bryan Cranston (John Carter, Drive) is confirmed for the villain, Bill Nighy (Underworld) is in talks for role of the resistance leader and Bokeem Woodbine will play Douglas’ friend.
Bill Nighy In Talks For Len Wiseman’s Total Recall
HeatVision reports that Bill Nighy (Pirates 2-3, Underworld, Shuan of The Dead, ) is in talks for the role of resistance leader Quatto in Total Recall. In the original film Kuato was a mutant but it’s unknown if this version of the character will be too. Since it’s been assumed the Mars colony is also gone in the remake. Nighy would join Bryan Cranston, Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bokeem Woodbine (The Big Hit).
Kate Beckinsale & Jessica Biel Confirmed For Total Recall
Collider confirms that both Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) and Jessica Biel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) have officially signed on for Len Wise’s Total Recall remake. Beckinsale will play Lori the wife of Douglas (Colin Farrell) while Biel will play the Melina role.
Bokeem Woodbine Joins Total Recall
Variety reports Bokeem Woodbine (Big Hit, The Rock, Dead Presidents) has joined Len Wiseman’s Total Recall remake.
Kate Beckinsale Offered Lori Role In Len Wiseman’s Total Recall
Deadline reports that an offer has gone out to Kate Beckinsale for the Lori role in Len Wiseman’s (Die Hard 4) Total Recall remake. Beckinsale and Wiseman are married working previous together on the first two Underworld films. They also name Rosario Dawson (Sin City) and Eva Mendes (Once Upon A Time In Mexico) as serious contenders for the role of Melina. Currently the only two cast actors are Colin Farrell and Bryan Cranston.
Curiously enough Jessica Biel’s name has disappeared from this new update. Biel had been previously linked as a frontrunner. I’m sure it could still be the case she’s in the mix for Melina as she read for both parts. I’d have to take Eva over Rosario just because I haven’t seen a good performance from Dawson in years. I think Beckinsale is a good fit for the Lori role and it doesn’t hurt she has a strong working relationship with Len. She is also finishing up production on Underworld: New Dawn, so Kate’s going to be in fight mode when she steps on the set.
Jessica Biel Frontrunner For Role In Total Recall Remake
Variety reports Jessica Biel is circling one of the two female leads in Len Wiseman’s (Underworld 1-2, Die Hard 4) Total Recall. Biel had been linked to testing for the Melina role but is now also up for the role of Lori and it’s unknown which one she’s being considered for. Biel would be an excellent addition to the cast as she’s one of the more believable physical actresses working in Hollywood at the moment. So when she’s firing a weapon or doing fight scenes it doesn’t look odd or out of her nature. Sony is starting up production soon in Toronto sharing the same studio as Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.
Another interesting tidbit is that Variety included a new addition to the film’s synopsis. It’s the first time there has ever been a mentioning of the film being set on Mars. I’m not sure if they’re just rehashing the original’s plot or this is an official one. If it’s true I’ll be warming up a lot more to this remake. Total Recall is currently set for an August 3rd 2012 release date with Colin Farrell as Dough and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as the film’s villain.
“The film follows Douglas Quaid, a man who believes he is a secret agent and ends up on a Martian colony where he fights to overthrow a ruler controlling the production of air.”
Bryan Cranston Will Play Villain In Total Recall Reboot
HeatVision reports that Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) has been cast as the villain in Len Wiseman’s Total Recall remake starring Colin Farrell. Cranston has been getting some prime roles in interesting films such as Drive, Contagion and John Carter of Mars. They also reveal the Mars-less synopsis which seems like it’s more of retelling of another iconic science fiction story not written by Dick.
“The new story involves nation states Euromerica and New Shanghai, with Douglas Quaid (Farrell) a factory worker in the latter who begins to believe he is a spy, although he doesn’t know for which side. Cranston would play Vilos Cohaagen, the leader of Euromerica who, under the cover of protecting his people, is secretly readying an invasion of New Shanghai.”
Diane Kruger, Jessica Biel, Eva Green, Paula Patton, Eva Mendes & Kate Bosworth Could Join Total Recall Reboot
It looks like Len Wiseman’s (Underworld 1-2, Die Hard 4) Total Recall reboot is about to find it’s two female leads. Deadline reports that the studio is talking with actresses that will star opposite Colin Farrell. In the role of Doug’s wife Lori played previously by Sharon Stone is being read by Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) and Diane Kruger (Troy, Inglourious Basterds). Also in the role of capable and dangerous ally Melina could be Jessica Biel, Eva Green (Casino Royale), Eva Mendes (Once Upon A Time In Mexico) and Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Deja Vu). Production is expected to start soon in Toronto at Pinewood Studios so expect casting announcements in the coming days.
That fact Deadline is naming both Lori and Melina could mean the remake is closer to the original than previous thought. I’d love to see Kruger in the role of Lori but I think any of those actresses could pull off Melina. I’m just hoping there is more science fiction than previously stated. As Mars was an important aspect in both the film and original story. The remake is set for an August 3rd 2012 release date.
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