The Column Without a Name!
December 2, 1998

Our contest to find a name for this column has officially ended! We've started to look over the entries and both the winner and the new title for this column will be announced in the near future. Thank you to all who participated in the naming of my column, and stay tuned to this page for the announcement!

Scooporama

A scooper who wishes to remain anonymous sent me some great scoops surronding some upcoming, interesting projects. Here is his report:

1) In post-production/rough cut phase:

Ride With The Devil
"Principal Photography completed July 1998 - now in post-production.  A 3-hour rough cut was screened in New York City in October to very mixed audience reviews - some excellent performances and stunning battle scenes but Mychael Danna's lackluster soundtrack needs serious work  -  Motivations of guerilla fighters unclear -  projected release date moved back from April to June 1999 with speculation ranging from anticipated summer blockbuster material to a serious need to improve editing/music . It will be interesting to see how Jewel performs in her big screen debut.  Director Ang Lee is already headed for China to begin work on his next project Crouching Tiger, Leaping Dragon which will feature martial artists Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh."

2) In pre-production/development hell

U-571
"Originally scheduled to begin lensing Fall 1998 - the set, including a full scale model of a World War II submarine, is complete on island of Malta.  Delay due to drop-out of Michael Douglas (scheduling conflict) Script now being re-written to accomodate younger cast.  Possible shoot date for Spring  1999.  The story follows a US submarine crew in World War II as they attempt to capture the German Navy's Top Secret 'Enigma' code machine."

Marching to Valhalla
"New life breathed into New Line's high dollar white elephant when Stone signed on in October.   Continuing script and pre-production problems following drop-out of Brad Pitt (November) followed by departure of originally inked director Katherine Bigelow.  The story follows the meteoric career and spectacular demise of General Custer. Screenplay by Dances With Wolves scribe Michael Blake is again in re-write but faces serious competition from rival Custer literary work 'A Road We Do Not Know' said to be in the capable hands of director Terence Malick currently finishing Post-production on The Thin Red Line (Phoenix Pictures/20th Century Fox). Malick is said to be one of the few directors with the cojones to go head-to-head with Stone.  Stone's commitment may be compromised by a spate of upcoming projects including On Any Given Sunday and Alexander the Great biopic which advances the theory that Alexander was poisoned by jealous family members.  Some studio wags are already speculating that Stone will interpret Custer's Last Stand as a conspiracy by Washington Insiders to do away with Custer as possible presidential candidate."

3) In production/casting phase:

Titus
"Currently lensing in Rome is experiencing some problems as first time director Julie Taymor adjusts from stage to screen milieu.  All UK/Irish cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Laura Fraser, Angus MacFayden, Colm Feore and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Some cast members have objected to Taymor assuming co-writing credit with Shakespeare. Dailies however are very good.  Taymor received a Tony for her stage production of The Lion King. Titus can be expected to be quite violent (I,Claudius meets The Wild Bunch)"

Joan of Arc
"Dustin Hoffman to play the 'Grand Inquisitor' for courtroom scenes. (Note:  This picture is not to be confused with Ronald Maxwell's Joan of Arc: The Virgin Warrior  with Mira Sorvino, Derek Jacobi or the new CBS effort directed by Christian Duguay featuring Leelee Sobieski as Joan  in a TV mini-series produced by Atlantic Alliance Ent which is set to air during May sweeps).  There were some difficulties for Besson's project on location while filming in the Czech Republic resulting in a number of stuntmen being injured and for a while it looked like the stuntmen were going to 'walk' on the project.  This was straightened out but some bad feelings remain below-the-line. On the bright side, the battle scenes look incredibly realistic."

4) In development/rumored phase:

"Irish screenwriter/director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot,The Boxer) is working on lining up talent for his pet project (a biopic) - the story of Irish playwright and humorist Brendan Behan imprisoned and later exiled for his IRA activities.  Sheridan will write and direct this film to be called Borstal Boy (the title of Behan's autobiography).

Loose talk on the set of Titus currently lensing in Rome has two of the leads (Jon Rhys-Myers and Anthony Hopkins) looking at a project  called Beatrice (Historical Drama/Romance) which tells the story of the sensational murder trial of a young noblewoman in Rome in the 1500s.  The screenplay is said to be first rate.  An associate who has seen the script said; "This could be a truly exceptional picture.  The writing is better than 90% of the stuff that's on the market today and tells a story that is sexy, gripping and intelligent - all too rare in the business today."

[Special thanks to our anonymous scooper.]

Some interesting comments on the second "POE" trailer

"I don't know about you, but that first trailer had me poised and ready to gobble this movie up like thanksgiving turkey.  It gave us enough, possibly too much (showing off the parting on the Red Sea effects), but still made my mouth water.  This new trailer just wreaks of Disney.  All that 'adventure for the whole family' crud makes my stomach turn.  Now they didnt start cranking out any cute and fuzzy creatures singing and dancing around Moses or anything, it just had the *feel* of a kinder, gentler POE.  Oh, and I can't neglect to mention how thick they're spreading on the R&B soundtrack.  I actually like Boys 2 Men and similar groups, but I really really wish that we can have an animated movie that doesnt use a pop R&B group remix the title song and play it over the credits.  I've only been shocked by non-Anime animation twice; Watership Down & NIMH.  I would like to be again.

"I was really looking forward to having this movie kick my ass, pound my skull and blow a hole in my pants with it's dark and truly epic attitude. That's what attracted me to the movie in the first place.  Ah well."[Review provided by 'Neuracnu Coyote'.]

The second trailer didn't do anything for me. This is frightening: so far the buzz surronding Prince Of Egypt was incredible, now it seems to be falling slowly to the state of an normal non-Disney movie opening (Anastasia for example). Where's that Titanic buzz it had? I hope all those negative reviews Dark Horizons published aren't true.

"Psycho" forum welcomes your comments!

Sunday's update will focus on the Psycho remake. After seeing the film this weekend, make sure you e-mail me your review, comments and rants about the film. Since no press screening will be done, (most film reviewers will see it on Friday like everybody else) you can expect my first ever movie review in this column on Sunday.

News about myself!

As you may have seen in previous issues I rarely talk about myself. (Well aside from my planned biography 'Confessions of a Katie Holmes Stalker'). Today this ends...because I have to let you know that yours truly will soon leave for a much needed vacation in Florida. Starting December 17 my updates will be less frequent (if non-existant). But do not fear oh faithful readers, I will be back (not quite sure when yet) in early January. During my time away time I'll probably read a few scripts (like that Episode One Santa will bring me... hummm shouldn't have said that, now I'll have the Fox Special Strike Force Team zooming off to the North Pole), catch a few films and play a lot of Zelda 64. Before I leave, if any of you out there have any knowledge of movies or TV series shooting in South Florida right now or around the December holidays, make sure you e-mail me.

Image by Gary Hudson
Copyright © 1998 Corona Productions

Jean-François Allaire is a 19 year old aspiring writer. Surfing the internet by night and stalking the streets of Montreal by day, he's always on the prowl for news from the set. J-F is a major contributor to Coming Attractions, always pushing himself to look for that story that needs to be told. If you work behind the scenes on a film production and you're just another name in the credits (or no credit given), and you feel that nobody cares, well guess again... Feel free to send him your funny, strange, and heart-warming set stories. Hell... he may even interview you!

Previous issues of Deadpool's column are also available.