Russell Crowe to play Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick
Russell Crowe is set to star in Guy Ritchie’s new film about legendary English detective Sherlock Holmes.
Crowe will star as the detective’s famous assistant, Dr Watson, alongside Robert Downey Jr in the lead role.
“Russell wants the part, Guy wants Russell,” a movie source told The Sun newspaper.
“All they’ve got left to do is dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”
Crowe had been due to start work on Ridley Scott’s film about Robin Hood and star as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
But that has now been put on the backburner because of production delay, leaving Crowe free to concentrate on his new role as Dr Watson.
- from HeraldSun
Robert Downey Jr.: Evil Master Mind
Robert Downey Jr. may soon goose the genre that launched his comeback. The Iron Man star is in negotiations to voice a character in Master Mind, DreamWorks Animation’s send-up of the superhero genre being produced by Ben Stiller’s production company, Red Hour Films. Tina Fey is also expected to join the cast of the movie, about a villain who loses his will to live after accidentally killing his archrival. Neither actor is a newcomer to animation: Downey Jr. lent his voice to an episode of Family Guy and the Richard Linklater film A Scanner Darkly, while Fey voiced a burrito in the film version of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Master Mind (the working title for now) is based on a script from Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons and will be directed by DreamWorks Animation veterans Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson.
- from EW
Sherlock Holmes? Ritchie’s on the case
Guy Ritchie’s latest gangster yarn, RocknRolla, won’t even be in theaters for another six weeks, but he already has turned his attentions to his next project, a version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes for contemporary tastes.
“It will be a very big production, visceral and intellectual,” Ritchie says. “His brilliance will percolate into the action.”
The expected 2010 Warner release will be set in the olden days, he says, but the emphasis will be as much on Holmes’ physical prowess as it is on his keen powers of deduction.
“His intellect was as much of a curse as it was a blessing,” Ritchie says. “He was a deeply layered character.”
No word on the villain yet, but there will be a love interest based on Conan Doyle’s Irene Adler. Casting is expected to be finished in six or so weeks.
Ritchie already has been lucky to snag Robert Downey Jr., hot off of this summer’s Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, as his lead.
“His wife, Susan, was a producer on RocknRolla, and he was one of the first people who saw it and was a big fan,” the filmmaker explains. “He wanted to do something together, and this was a natural.” As for Downey’s English accent, “it’s flawless.”
- from USAToday
Bring it on — Iron Man VS Batman!
First, there’s NYMag talking to Iron Man 2 screenwriter Justin Theroux:
Q. You’re writing Iron Man 2, right? Given the success of The Dark Knight, are you tempted to make it darker than the original?
A. There’s no temptation whatsoever. You know, I tremulously went and watched The Dark Knight myself, but it’s a totally different movie, like, you know that Tom Cruise movie where he played the race-car driver? What was that movie called … anyway. It’s like comparing that movie to Talladega Nights — it’s two totally different animals. We have a leading man who can sort of relish being a cad, and that’s a fun character to write for. We feel like we’re in the clear.
Then, Robert Downey Jr. spoke to Moviebutthole or something:
“Now Justin Theraux who wrote ‘Tropic Thunder’, is writing it and Jon and I are working on the story with him. It’s pretty great and I think it’s going to be cool. I think it’s going to appropriately well thought out so that we don’t forget what got us the response that we appreciated so much, which is, we didn’t say, ‘Great, now that this is like this, now we’re going to twist it and do this with it.’ It’s now; I’m not saying we’re going to do bits. I think more of the same; it is a very rich feel, because it was a very simple movie, if you ask me. It was an origin story.”
Which apparently was not the case with the other big summer movie “The Dark Knight”. “My whole thing is that that I saw ‘The Dark Knight’. I feel like I’m dumb because I feel like I don’t get how many things that are so smart. It’s like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.’ I loved ‘The Prestige’ but didn’t understand ‘The Dark Knight’. Didn’t get it, still can’t tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I’m like, ‘I get it. This is so high brow and so f–king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.’ You know what? F-ck DC comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”
Well clearly Downey isn’t about to do anything for DC Comics anytime soon. “You know, you’re never too old to burn your bridges because I believe I have offended everyone,” he says, laughingly. “I think I’ve got a couple more. ‘I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it’ is my favourite phrase I’ve ever coined.”
Iron Man Blu-ray News
(Related Flashback post — our 2006 Interview with Jon Favreau)
Friday August 8th 2008: The news we’ve been waiting for — Iron Man is coming to Blu-ray! Delivering non-stop action and excitement from a Super Hero who boasts not only unique powers, but also irresistible charm, penetrating intelligence and a wry wit, Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures’ worldwide box office sensation IRON MAN soars onto DVD and Blu-ray on September 30, 2008. Kicking off the fourth quarter, Paramount Home Entertainment presents spectacular Ultimate Edition two-disc sets on both DVD and Blu-ray, as well as in a single-disc DVD. IRON MAN thrilled both critics and audiences around the world with its captivating story and stunning visual effects. Called “spectacular” (Rolling Stone) and “a thrill-a-minute blockbuster” (”Reel Talk”), the film features an all-star cast including Academy Award(R) nominees Robert Downey Jr. (Zodiac, Chaplin), Jeff Bridges (The Contender) and Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) and Oscar(R) winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare In Love) and was directed by Jon Favreau (Elf).
Earning over $315 million in the domestic box office to date, IRON MAN lifts off with high-speed, high-flying action when jet-setting industrialist Tony Stark survives an unexpected attack in enemy territory and escapes by building a high-tech robotic suit of armor. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man. Straight from the pages of the legendary comic book, IRON MAN is a hero who is built — not born — to be unlike any other!
The IRON MAN Ultimate Edition two-disc sets are super-charged with hours of explosive bonus features that take viewers inside the suit of self-made Super Hero Tony Stark and his invincible alter ego. The sets offer the ultimate IRON MAN experience with extensive explorations of the origins of the character in a six-part featurette, as well as a seven-part in-depth look at the making of the film, a revealing documentary on the stellar visual effects, Robert Downey Jr.’s original screen test, deleted and extended scenes, a photo gallery of concept art and behind-the-scenes images on the set and more.
DVD:
The IRON MAN Ultimate Edition two-DVD set is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Total runtime is 125 minutes. Bonus features include: Disc 1: — Feature film — Deleted/Extended Scenes Disc 2: — I Am Iron Man — The Journey Begins — The Suit that makes the Iron Man — The Walk of Destruction — Grounded In Reality — Beneath the Armor — It’s All in the Details — A Good Story, Well Told — The Invincible Iron Man — Origins — Friends & Foes — The Definitive Iron Man — Demon in a Bottle — Extremis and Beyond — Ultimate Iron Man — Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man — Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test — The Actor’s Process (scene rehearsal with cast) — The Onion “Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted into Full Length Film” — Image Galleries
Soaring Hi-Def Features on Blu-ray:
One of the most anticipated releases of the year, the IRON MAN Blu-ray presentation offers even more exclusive content for an incredible entertainment experience including a “Hall of Armor” that allows fans to enter the Stark database to zoom in on any of the three Iron Man suits — or Iron Monger. They can then activate the digital 3-D schematics to check out every weapon and the full high-definition renders let users fly around each suit to explore each of the armors in comprehensive detail.
The “Iron Man IQ” is a user-friendly web application that lets users create and share new multiple choice quizzes based on clips from the film. Fans can also download other users’ challenges via BD-Live.
The IRON MAN Ultimate Edition two-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. Bonus features include: Disc 1: — Hall of Armor — The Invincible Iron Man (HD) — Origins — Friends & Foes — The Definitive Iron Man — Demon in a Bottle — Extremis and Beyond — Ultimate Iron Man — Deleted/Extended Scenes (HD) — BD Live: — Iron Man IQ Disc 2: — I Am Iron Man (HD) — The Journey Begins — The Suit that makes the Iron Man — The Walk of Destruction — Grounded In Reality — Beneath the Armor — It’s All in the Details — A Good Story, Well Told — Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man (HD) — Robert Downey Jr. Screen Test (HD) — The Actor’s Process (scene rehearsal with cast) (HD) — The Onion “Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted into Full Length Film” (HD) — Theatrical Trailers (HD) — Image Galleries
Single-disc DVD
The IRON MAN single-disc DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include the deleted and extended scenes.
Marketing Support:
Paramount Home Entertainment will support the debut of IRON MAN with a comprehensive campaign designed to reach a wide range of consumers. The multi-million dollar blitz will include television, print, radio and online advertising, as well as an array of viral promotions to generate consumer excitement and anticipation leading up to the release. Innovative and engaging displays will be deployed across retail outlets to create an event atmosphere at street and extend the excitement into the holiday season. Additionally, promotional partners including Southwest Airlines, Kragen Auto Parts and Perdue will further extend the IRON MAN message to millions of consumers across diverse retail locations.
About Marvel
With a library of over 5,000 characters built over more than sixty years of comic book publishing, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation) and publishing (via Marvel Comics), with emphasis on feature films, television, DVD, consumer products, video games, action figures, role- playing toys and promotions. Marvel’s strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world. For more information visit http://www.marvel.com.
About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Studios, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment. For artwork please visit: phepromo.com IRON MAN Street date: September 30, 2008 Runtime: 125 minutes U.S. Rating: PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content Canadian Rating: PG for violence
Robert Downey Jr. Talks Iron Man 2
“Our goals are more of the same. The idea that he said he’s Iron Man in part 1…it’s one thing to say it, and it’s another thing to actually evolve to the point where you can live in a heroic fashion. You know, they say, ‘The superhero movie always needs to follow…’ and I said who is that guy? Get him out of here! We want to do what worked for us last time, in a way that evolves. We’re talking about a guy who is put in an extraordinary circumstance, and the people that are around him, and how that creates a sense of family, and how that disrupts whatever forces that we have to say that are working [in his life]. I like the idea of an Iron Man 2 that you’re able to understand various points of view. You’re able to touch on some subjects that are a lot more far reaching, while still grounding it in entertainment.”
- from IESB.net
Tropic Thunder Tests Crudity’s Limits
Ben Stiller slurps gore from a human head. Robert Downey Jr. wears blackface throughout. Both milk an extended gag about Hollywood’s weakness for what they impolitely call retards.
And the film was not cheap.
“Tropic Thunder,” an R-rated movie-industry spoof set to open on Aug. 13, is shaping up as an unusual parting gift to Paramount Pictures from Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Stacey Snider. The three are expected to leave Paramount shortly over dissatisfaction with its handling of their DreamWorks unit, which the studio bought in 2005.
The movie clearly has hit potential. Directed by Mr. Stiller, it has an ensemble cast also including Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte, not to mention Tom Cruise, in a raucous cameo as a vulgar studio chief.
But Paramount executives also face the delicate task of selling what may be the raunchiest comedy yet in a summer that has seen more than its share. (Next is the much cheaper “Pineapple Express,” a stoner adventure Sony Pictures Entertainment is releasing on Wednesday, with Seth Rogen and James Franco in the lead roles.)
- from NYTimes