No One Can Hear Jacko in MIB II
Barry Sonnenfeld says that few people can actually hear what Michael Jackson is saying when he appears on screen in MEN IN BLACK II, because people are laughing so hard at his appearance in preview screenings. In the film, Jacko plays an MIB wannabe. Sonnenfeld says that had he anticipated the reaction, he would have re-edited the scene to allow more time to pass so you can hear Jacko talk.
Liam Neeson talks about hearing himself in EPISODE II.
Liam Neeson told SCI FI Wire that he wasn’t surprised to hear that the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn, his slain Star Wars: Episode I character, factors into the action in Star Wars: Episode IIóAttack of the Clones. And he remained mum on his reported appearance in the upcoming Episode III. “I haven’t seen [Episode II],” Neeson said in an interview. “My sons told me about it, but I knew it was going to happen.”
In a spoiler for the latest prequel, Qui-Gon’s cry of “No, Ani!” can be heard as Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) massacres the Tusken raiders that murdered his mother, Shmi (Pernilla August). “I don’t know how they did that,” Neeson said. “We tried to record something here [in New York City, where Neeson lives]. But then they digitalized something and put it together and sent it to me, the way they can these days, to hear [and for his approval]. I thought, ‘That’s good.'”
As for whether Neeson will return in either corporeal or ghostly form for Episode III, Neeson said, “I can’t answer that. The Jedi code of ethics.”
Lucas Talks Anakin and Boba
George Lucas revealed a few tidbits about the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III to Starlog magazine, according to a report on TheForce.net. Among other things, he confirmed that Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Boba Fett will appear in Episode III. Jinn’s appearance was foreshadowed in the current Episode II-Attack of the Clones, in which his voice can be heard in the background as Anakin attacks the Tusken Raiders.
“It’s a plot point,” Lucas told the magazine. “All I can really say is that you’ll find out [more] in the next film. If you thought really hard, you would probably be able to figure it out, but it really is a setup for the next film. It’s connected with the whole ability to be brought into and become a part of the Force, but still be able to retain your ability, which, up to this point, Anakin couldn’t do. We talked to Liam about [recording new dialogue], and we went back and forth [about it]. This [dialogue] is something we already had [from Episode I]. Next time will be a little more complicated.”
Lucas added, “Boba will be in Episode III, but his role definitely won’t be larger. He’s in a transition period of becoming a bounty hunter. The next film takes place two or three years later, so Boba would only be 13 and still wouldn’t fit in the suit.”
Lucas also offered a hint about Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader. “The scene where Anakin does actually become Vader is pretty good [as written in Lucas’ Episode III outline]. I mean, I like it. It’s a little in the vocabulary of … I don’t know how much I want to give away … but it’s in the vocabulary of a time, of the 1930s and 1940s. It’s a pretty neat little thing, I think, and hopefully it’s going to work.”
TOO BAD?!?
Steven Spielberg telling Britain’s Empire magazine that he always wanted to direct a Star Wars film, but George Lucas turned him down. “Star Wars is George’s baby,” he said. “George is my best friend and I believe I am his, but we are all competitive.”
GO FIGURE
Bruce Willis is reprising his role as a hit man in a sequel to his 2000 crime comedy, The Whole Nine Yards. Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet will also be back.
The movie starts shooting October 4 in Los Angeles. FYI- The original was shot in Montreal.
ABSOLUTELY OGRE-RIFFIC!
John Cleese joining the cast of Shrek 2, assuming the voice of Princess Fiona’s father. The sequel is due out in 2004.
D’Works Prepping GLADIATOR 2
The long rumored GLADIATOR 2 is getting an actual treatment, says Dreamworks head Walter Parkes. Will Russell Crowe be playing Maximus in the film? “Maximus is dead-dead-dead, no coming back and the story picks up things 15 years later,” said Parkes.
As for seeing Crowe in flashbacks or something similar, says Parkes, “That’s not an easy one, but believe me we’ve tried to mull over all the possibilities.”
TERMINATOR 3 Trailer Ships With MIB II
A source for Coming Attractions has informed them that a teaser trailer for TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES will ship to theaters with the print for MEN IN BLACK II. Warner Bros may also put the trailer online the day before or the same day the film opens, July 3.
Bassett: ‘Monster’ Role Was Demeaning
Angela Bassett turned down a lead role in the movie “Monster’s Ball” because she believed an affair the character had was demeaning and stereotypical, the actress said.
“It’s about character, darling,” she told Newsweek for the July 1 issue, which goes on newsstands Monday. “I wasn’t going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn’t do that because it’s such a stereotype about black women and sexuality.”
The actress made it clear that she didn’t mean to criticize Halle Berry, who starred in the movie as a troubled waitress who had an affair with her husband’s executioner. Berry won an Oscar for the role.
Bassett was one of several actresses who passed on the role in “Monster’s Ball.”
“It’s about putting something out there you can be proud of 10 years later,” she said. “I mean, Meryl Streep won Oscars without all that.”