1.) I will be posting my review of Alex Cross later today and one thing you won’t see in it is me suggesting a sequel, which we’ll leave at that for the time being. Summit, however, whether to drum up some additional publicity or because they think they may legitimately have a hit on their hands are reportedly preparing a sequel to the film that finds Tyler Perry in the title role.
Based on another one of James Patterson‘s novels, the sequel is eyeing the author’s 13th Alex Cross book, “Double Cross“, in which Cross must hunt down a killer that thrives on public attention and stages his killings as spectacles in public settings. I don’t see how the first one warrants another, but best of luck. [Deadline]
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3.) Warner Bros. has remixed Bryan Singer‘s Jack the Giant Killer a bit, retitling it Jack the Giant Slayer and moving it from its previous March 22 release date to March 1, 2013. I expect we’ll see a trailer for the newly titled feature soon. The new title was chosen as it is said to be more family friendly. [THR]
4.) Only a couple of days ago it was reported Richard Wenk was brought on to rewrite the screenplay for Masters of the Universe, a potential adaptation of the ’80s cartoon with Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe Retaliation) attached to direct. Well, Chu opened up about why he took the gig telling Celebuzz:
“I was approached about doing a Masters of the Universe movie and while at first I was skeptical. I read the script and I was blown away. I had no idea what to expect but it was such a fresh, UNEXPECTED approach I was immediately intrigued. I never expected to connect on a human level to a [Masters of the Universe] movie but I really plugged in emotionally. That alone, got me excited to see what we could do with the property.”
If it’s so great, why the rewrites? He addresses that as well saying:
“I feel like there’s a lot of room to crack open the Masters of the Universe story. We are still in our process and I think we have some great seeds planted but making one of these types of movies RIGHT takes a lot of TONAL tightroping so we’re just going to play for the next several months. Play with designs, play with the characters, try new things, maybe go too far on some things and pull back. The process is really important to find where the right line is so we can land right on it. I think that’s what can dig out the properties full potential for a cinematic rebirth.”
At the moment there is no word on a production start date. [Celebuzz]
5.) Nate Parker has left Spike Lee‘s Oldboy remake and has been replaced by James Ransone, whom those that went to Sinister over the weekend will recognize as the film’s small-town deputy. Parker’s departure was due to a commitment to the Liam Neeson thriller Non-Stop, which is a shame. Production on Oldboy is already underway and some pictures from the set can be found here. [Variety]
