Genre: Action/Adventure.
Studio:
Unknown.
Production Company:
Unknown.
Project Phase: Development Hell.
Who's In It:
Arnold Schwarzenegger (unsigned but interested); Jennifer Connelly (unconfirmed); Nicholas
Turturro (unconfirmed); Christopher McDonald (unconfirmed); Robert Englund (unconfirmed).
Who's Making It:
Paul Verhoeven (Director, unsigned).
Premise: A feudal serf fights in the name of Christianity back in the Middle Ages.
Release Date: Unknown.
Comments: This baby's been rumored since 1991 as the "next" Schwarzennger vehicle. Needless to say, it hasn't materialized yet, although several studios are expressing interest in footing the $100 million + budget. See Scoop Feedback for additional comments.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
May 17, 1996... Originally set to be produced by Carolco with a $90 million budget and pre-production work in motion...but then Carolco went bankrupt. Verhoeven, Schwarzenegger and Carolco producer Mario Kassar came up with the idea for the movie while shooting Total Recall. Kassar is still attached as producer should the movie ever be made, and somewhere along the line Jennifer Connelly's name was attached as the film's heroine. In the words of this scoop submitter, "Why doesn't this project have a race with Spider-Man to see which is released first?"
June 3, 1996... A mystery e-mail arrives at CA telling us that the production manager of this picture is one Robert Latham Brown. [Scoop sent in anonymously.]
June 13, 1996... Robert Englund may also be involved with the project as a Christian preacher. John Tuturro may play the role of a Islamic follower. Englund reportedly said in a European magazine interview that the interaction between him and Tuturro's characters were extremely funny. [Scoop reported by an anonymous source.]
July 23, 1996... Reportedly the script features a scene in which Schwarzenegger's character would carry Christ's crucifixion cross back to Rome. [Scoop handed in anonymously.]
September 22, 1996... The anonymous scooper claims to haveI spoken to actor Christopher McDonald. McDonald was initially cast in the film as Arnold's nemesis, his half-brother. Apparently Arnold still owns the rights to this project and McDonald is hopeful it can come together again with him still in it. [Scoop provided anonymously.]
September 24, 1998... A very negative scooper writes us: "Hi. Second time scooper. This is not really a scoop though, and I'm myself quite suspicious about it. Well, a friend of mine who studies art in a school in Swansea in Wales told me this: The school has a speciality in glass (window) design, and that they were designing stuff for a Paul Verhoeven project which was supposed to be about Jesus!? I haven't heard anything about this, but who knows?"
Very curious indeed. Verhoeven, the man who brought us Showgirls, doing a film about Jesus Christ? Would the Christian Churches of the world allow it? But then, we thought...hmmm...could this work have something to do with Crusade, the closest thing to a Verhoeven religious film we are aware of? Could this project be moving forward? Can any other glass makers in Wales let us know what's happening? [Thanks to 'no' for dropping a line.]
October 8, 1998... Deadpool's untitled column has done a special report on Verhoeven's Jesus project. Check out his column.
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