‘Inside Man’ sequel moving forward
A sequel to Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” is moving forward at Universal, with Terry George in negotiations to write the screenplay and Lee coming back to direct the Brian Grazer-produced pic.
“Inside Man 2,” as the project is tentatively being called, will pick up on the characters and dynamic but not the storyline of the original. The first “Inside Man,” which was penned by Russell Gewirtz, centered on a standoff between a bank robber (Clive Owens) and a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington) at a New York bank.
Lee says he foresees that the new film will continue the relationship between the two main characters but in a new high-tension situation. “I want the script to be even better than Russell’s, and Russell wrote a really good script,” he said.
The news cements long-floating rumors that Universal was looking to reprise the alchemy of the indie fave Lee with the studio budget and marketing apparatus of Universal.
The original “Inside Man,” also from Universal, scored Lee his biggest opening weekend, and went on to earn more than $175 million worldwide when it was released in the spring of 2006.
Grazer will produce “Inside Man 2″ via his Imagine Entertainment banner, with Lee and Daniel Rosenberg exec producing.
- from THR
Denzel Washington picks up ‘Book’
Denzel Washington will star in “Book of Eli,” a post-apocalyptic drama that will be directed by Allen and Albert Hughes.
Alcon Entertainment is financing the film and Warner Bros. will distribute.Washington will portray a lone hero in a not-too-distant apocalyptic future who must fight across America to bring society the knowledge that could
be the key to its redemption.
Gary Whitta wrote the script, and Anthony Peckham did the rewrite.
Joel Silver is producing with Washington, Susan Downey and Alcon co-founders Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. Shooting begins in January.
- from Variety
Denzel Washington circling Matarese
A package based on a best-selling Robert Ludlum novel is creating a buzz as it has been pitched to studios this week. And there’s a good reason: Denzel Washington is attached to play the hero. The project, “The Matarese Circle,” centers on two secret agents, an American and a Russian, who must work together to fight a mysterious group of killers known as the Matarese, The twist: the agents, Bradley Scofield and Vasili Taleniekov, have been nemeses for years, with each responsible for killing someone close to the other. According to those familiar with the pitch, Washington would play Scofield.
Via Reuters