Wallace, Gromit, Wererabbits Oh My
Nick Park (CHICKEN RUN) is finally bringing Wallace and Gromit to the Big Screen in a movie called CURSE OF THE WERERABBIT.
It’s been 8 years (1995) since we last saw them in CLOSE SHAVE, but they're still much loved amongst fans.
Once again Dreamworks is financing Park and his outfit Aardman Animation (as with CHICKEN RUN) to make the movie, which should take 18 months to animate.
The voice of Peter Sallis (LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE) will, as usual, bring Wallace alive. And we’re also getting at least two new characters. So far announced are Lady Tottingham and Lord Victor Quartermaine. Those two characters will be voiced by Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.
Jinx Is Axed
The word was that, after Halley Berry tore it up as American spy Jinx in DIE ANOTHER DAY, she would be the first character to get a spin-off film. Well MGM has just told producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson of Eon to stop work on the spin-off and fast track Bond 21. No word has come on whether this is a definite no, or if it might get made at a later time. Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Rob Wade had already started on the script, so maybe it won’t be jinxed after all.
Clive Owen definitely has a licence to thrill, but is he the next ...OO7?
LONDON -- Will the next James Bond please grab the gun, kiss the girl and catch the next evil nutter who wants to destroy the world?
Rampant speculation here in 007's home base is that the new Bond -- after Pierce Brosnan does one more movie in the famous role -- is going to be Englishman Clive Owen.
While best known to critics for the superb Mike Hodges thriller Croupier, and familiar to keen observers as a valet in the nifty Gosford Park ensemble, Owen is expected to catapult to fame as "the manly man" star of Beyond Borders, which opened in theatres yesterday.
His passionate kissing scene with Angelina Jolie is as 007 as it gets.
And Beyond Borders director Martin Campbell, who directed Brosnan in GoldenEye -- the 1996 film credited with resuscitating the now 41-year franchise -- says Owen would be a throwback to the Sean Connery era.
The trouble is, says the amiable Owen, nobody has offered him anything to do with James Bond -- and until somebody does, he does not want to join in the speculation.
"That's exactly what they are -- rumours!" Owen says. "There has never been anything substantial underneath them. It's reared up so many times now. I'll deal with it, I'll think about it, if it ever becomes a fact.
"I learned a long time ago in this game that there is a lot of bulls--t and, if you worry about things that are not factual, you end up wasting a lot of time. If ever there is an official approach, or somebody talks properly to my representatives, I'll think about it. But, until then, I read what you read. No, no, no, no ... I honestly do not think about it."
Owen is a tall, dark and handsome type from Keresley, near Coventry, in Warkwickshire, England. Now 39, he first came to prominence in a series of BMW commercials as "the mysterious driver" and was seen driving a Beemer in The Bourne Identity.
But he is actually a serious actor, having graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1984.
Contrary to reports, Owen has a wry sense of humour, even about James Bond. He likes to tell stories to illustrate how silly the speculation has become.
Story 1: "I had a phone call two weeks ago from someone saying, 'It's just been confirmed that you've signed to do two Bonds -- congratulations!' "
Story 2: During filming of the Hodges film I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, Owen was photographed by a tabloid sporting the long hair extensions and beard he wore for the role. The tabloid had a picture of him with the headline: Bond Bosses Unveil New Bond. "They had the inside scoop that I had been offered Bond, but the Bond people wanted to disguise me with long hair and a beard until they were ready to unveil me!" Owen says of the story: "That was an extraordinary page that they got out of a silly little picture. You read that and it's just absurd!"
Campbell, however, says that Owen is not only terrific in Beyond Borders but that he would make a great James Bond -- and play the role with more gusto than Brosnan.
"He's slightly darker and more dangerous. Sean Connery had a real edge to him, which none of the rest do. I mean, I love Pierce and he's great and he does it real well, but it's different. I think Clive goes right back to Connery."
Few could pull that off, Campbell says. "Where are the William Holdens and the Burt Lancasters and the Lee Marvins and the Robert Ryans and the Tyrone Powers? They don't exist -- and I think Clive is one of the rare exceptions."
Owen grins maliciously when he hears Campbell's praise: "He's full of s--t!"
Indy Raids Pockets
He’s getting older, but it would seem Indiana Jones still knows how to get a job done. After years of speculation, October 21st finally saw the release of THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES—THE COMPLETE DVD MOVIE COLLECTION. And as soon as it hit shelves, it was snatched up. 600,000 copies only were sold in the United States, for an estimated $28 million. If sales continue, this could be the best ever selling DVD box set.
'Scary Movie 3' Conjures Up Nearly $50M
LOS ANGELES - The "Scary Movie" franchise has risen from the grave, with part three of the horror-spoof series opening as the top weekend flick with $49.7 million, the best October debut ever.
"Scary Movie 3" bumped the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," to second place with $14.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Premiering in third place with $14 million was the feel-good drama "Radio," starring Cuba Gooding Jr. in the real-life story of a mentally disabled man befriended by a high school football coach (Ed Harris).
Angelina Jolie — whose career had been on the skids with the flops "Original Sin" and "Life or Something Like It," plus a weak return on last summer's "Tomb Raider" sequel — delivered another turkey with "Beyond Borders."
A downbeat story of doomed romance between humanitarian-aid workers (Jolie and Clive Owen), "Beyond Borders" opened at No. 11 with just $2 million.
The overall box office soared, with the top 12 movies taking in $121.1 million, up 39 percent from the same weekend last year.
"Scary Movie 3" was a lesson in resurrecting a declining franchise. Created by the Wayans brothers, "Scary Movie" was a surprise hit in summer 2000, with a total gross of $157 million. Their "Scary Movie 2" the following spring smacked of a rush job and did less than half the business of its predecessor.
Miramax, whose Dimension banner releases the "Scary Movie" flicks, tapped David Zucker, part of the team behind the disaster-film spoof "Airplane!" and the police parody "The Naked Gun," to direct "Scary Movie 3."
The audience was mainly younger than 25, but Zucker's involvement helped bring in older adults, Miramax co-founder Bob Weinstein said.
"David Zucker almost semi-invented this genre," Weinstein said. "You have those people who loved `Airplane!' but said, ah, `Scary Movie,' that's not for me, then going, oh, Zucker's doing it?"
Miramax also broadened the audience to younger teens by toning down the raunchy sight gags, holding "Scary Movie 3" to a PG-13 rating. The first two "Scary Movie" installments were rated R.
"The traditional wisdom is you don't mess with a franchise formula because you run the risk of alienating the core audience," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "In this case, the combination of retooling it and making it more accessible with a PG-13 rating was a perfect combination."
Zucker is returning to direct "Scary Movie 4," due out late next year, Weinstein said.
Disney's latest animated flick, "Brother Bear," debuted impressively in limited release, taking in $285,000 in two New York City and Los Angeles theaters. The movie, which features the voice of Joaquin Phoenix as an Inuit boy seeking to undo misdeeds that have transformed him into a bear, opens in wide release of about 3,000 theaters this coming weekend.
Also opening strongly in limited release were Jane Campion's dark murder thriller "In the Cut," starring Meg Ryan, and Gus Van Sant's "Elephant," featuring a group of unknown teen actors in a drama loosely inspired by the Columbine school shootings.
"In the Cut" took in $95,000 at six theaters. "Elephant," the top prize winner at last spring's Cannes Film Festival, grossed $90,000 in six theaters.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Scary Movie 3," $49.7 million.
2. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," $14.7 million.
3. "Radio," $14 million.
4. "Runaway Jury," $8.4 million.
5. "Mystic River," $7.6 million.
6. "The School of Rock," $6.5 million.
7. "Kill Bill — Vol. 1," $6 million.
8. "Good Boy!", $4.85 million.
9. "Intolerable Cruelty," $3.6 million.
10. "Under the Tuscan Sun," $2.2 million.