So says Rufio himself! Chatting with Crave Online, Hook actor Dante Basco waxed nostalgic about imaginary food fightin' with Robin Williams in the 1991 cult flick and let slip that he's attached to produce a Rufio prequel, with Zorro director Rpin Suwannath at the helm. Of course, the project is A) currently only in development and B) going the indie route, so take it with a grain of salt. That said, in the spirit of the Lost Boys, let your inner kid dream big. Ru-fi-OOO!
According to Basco, who appeared in two films at the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival, the Rufio film will be based on a musical that comedy troupe The Younger Statesmen wrote in college. "These guys have a whole storyline of how he gets the mohawk," Basco told Crave. "The whole story’s crazy. These guys came with the script, I’m like, 'You guys wrote this?'"
"Not only did they write this, they did the musical in their college. They were going to go off Broadway with it and then they lost their insurance and they came to Hollywood. If anyone saw their play it’s that, but the newer version is pretty intense. They added more action. I never saw the play but I think they added more backstory to Rufio, like how he became Rufio which I was impressed by."
So: Good idea or bad idea? The original film made money but tanked with critics (though it did garner five Oscar nods), but ask any kid of the '90s and I'd bet they'd watch a Rufio spin-off in a heartbeat.
The best tidbit about E.L. James' 50 Shades of Grey S&M erotica series, besides the fact that your mother may be reading the salacious bestselling tomes right this very second, is that the book trilogy began, as great cultural touchstones do, as Twilight fan fiction. So it's all sorts of strange to watch Kristen Stewart and her Snow White and the Huntsman castmates Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, and Charlize Theron reading steamy passages from the naughty, naughty 50 Shades of Grey aloud. Awesome or creepy (or both)? You decide!
Props to MTV's Josh Horowitz for getting the erstwhile Bella Swan to utter the lines hardcore 50 Shades fans have been imagining her saying since James' kinky prose first hit the 'net, but really: Did they have to make them say the 50 Shades killing words?? (Just die already, inner goddess.)
High five to Stewart for being a good sport. Extra points to Theron for giving it all she had. Maybe there's a part for her in the planned film adaptation — Mrs. Robinson, perhaps?
Also in Tuesday morning's news round up: Icon will produce Lee Daniels' next project, James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain team for a double-feature, Zac Efron and Seth Rogen will pair for a new project, and more...
Sony Classics Nabs Cannes' No
North American rights to Pablo LarraĂn’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight feature No have been picked up by Sony Classics. The film is based on a true story: When Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, facing international pressure, calls for a referendum on his presidency in 1988, opposition leaders persuade a brash young advertising executive, Rene Saavedra (Gael GarcĂa Bernal), to spearhead their campaign.Â
Icon to Produce Lee Daniels' The Butler
The Oscar-nominated Precious filmmaker's next project will be the first for the Icon UK Group under its new management. Starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, the story is inspired by Eugene Allen, a White House butler who served eight American presidents over the course of four decades. The historical fiction revolves around a father and son pulled apart by the changing tides and civil unrest that swept through the US in the 1960s. Daniels is currently in Cannes for The Paperboy, which is screening in competition this week.
Alister Grierson to Direct Mary Mother of Christ
Australian director Alister Grierson (Sanctum) will direct Mary Mother of Christ, which is being styled as the Biblical prequel to the story of The Passion of the Christ. Benedict Fitzgerald and Barbara Nicolosi wrote the screenplay. Israeli actress Odeya Rush (The Locals) will play Mary. Houston-based mega-church pastor Joel Osteen will executive produce. Filming begins this summer in the Middle East and Lionsgate will release in North America and Hyde Park is handling international sales in Cannes.
Around the 'net...
Cannes Gets Django Unchained Peak
The Weinstein Company showcased three clip packages from its fall 2012 slate, with Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained shoring up huge buzz along with P.T. Anderson's The Master and David O. Russell's The Silver-Linings Playbook. The Guardian reports.
James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain Double Up For Disappearance
The two will star opposite each other in the double feature projects The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and The Disappearance of Elanor Rigby: Her for Myriad Pictures. The film, by writer-director Ned Benson (In Defiance of Gravity), is a love story about a married NYC couple who deal with a life-altering emotional experience showing it from both their perspectives, Deadline reports.
Nicholas Stoller to Direct Seth Rogen & Zac Efron in Townies
Stoller, who most recently directed The Five-Year Engagement for Universal, is in negotiations for Townies, which the studio picked up in a July bidding war. The film features Rogen as a family man who lives near an alpha-male fraternity house and has to contend with a frat member (Efron) whose raucous behavior wreaks havoc on his life. THR reports.
If you had told me a week ago that any film might enter a beer-marketing tie-in weirder than the one recently consummated by Heineken and Skyfall, I'd have belched "No wayyyyy" in violent protest through the fizzy, hazy languor of whatever 12-pack I was drinking at that moment. And then you'd say, "No, seriously, Coors Light and Prometheus made a merchandising baby and it's growing up so fast!" And I'd be all, "Ugh, the Rangers can't scorrrreee." And you'd say, "Look, look! Here's a commercial!" And we'd stare in churning anguish as a mega-bottle of Coors Light terrifyingly plunged through the atmosphere and the crew of the film's titular vessel confronted their flavorless, pale-yellow fate.
And then I presume we'd switch to whiskey? I dunno. Anyway, creature spoilers and presumably interplanetary tailgate parties follow. Ahem. Do you thirst?
There's no writer or director, but whatever — let's get this rumor party started: "As MGM prepares to start production on RoboCop and Carrie later this year, the studio is going back to the vault again to develop a remake of John Sturges' 1960 Western The Magnificent Seven with Tom Cruise attached to star. [...] Sources caution that while Cruise has long been interested in saddling up for a Magnificent Seven remake, the project is still a long ways off and is not in Cruise's immediate plans." Next thing you know, they'll be stapling Sam Raimi's name to a Poltergeist remake or something. Oh, wait. [Variety]
Another Chris Nolan Batman movie poster, another juxtaposition of the Gotham City skyline in disarray featuring the Bat-symbol carved artfully in the air out of debris and angsty madness — this time, with more Batman! Get a gander at the new Batsplosion-ey poster for The Dark Knight Rises, which hits July 20 promising that "A Fire Will Rise." (In your pants, amirite?)
A second tagline also gives the poster a feeling of baddie Bane's presence, even if he's nowhere to be found: "The Legend Ends..." Or maybe that's just Nolan's way of telling us he's almost done with his superhero opus. Either way, July's right around the corner.
Also in this afternoon's Biz Break: The breakout director of Animal Kingdom plots his next (possibly with the help of Robert Pattinson), Rupert Everett to direct himself as Oscar Wilde (with the help of a few friends of his own), and more...
Kino Lorber Wants You to Meet the Fokkens
The specialty distributor has announced a deal to bring Gabrielle Provaas & Rob Schröder's documentary Meet the Fokkens to the US; the film tells the story of 69-year-old twin sisters experiences as prostitutes and brothel owners in Amsterdam's red-light district. The doc will enjoy its Stateside premiere next month at the SilverDocs Film Festival before debuting Aug. 8 in New York.
MichĂ´d, FilmNation Take Aim at The Rover
FilmNation continued its Cannes newsmaking streak, announcing the acquisition of Animal Kingdom filmmaker David Michôd's follow-up The Rover. The story follows two men through "a dangerous and dysfunctional near future. Eric has left everything and every semblance of human kindness behind him. When his last possession, his car, is stolen by a gang of dangerous criminals, Eric sets off to track them down and is forced along the way to enlist the help of Reynolds, the naïve simpleton member of the gang left behind in the bloody chaos of the gang’s most recent escape." Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson are said to be in talks for the roles of Eric and Reynolds, respectively.
XLrator Floors It With Action Series XLrator Media has announced the multi-platform TURBO by XLrator label, which will bring an international slate of action films to North American audiences. The first three movies set for release this year will be Naked Soldier (from Hong Kong), Blood Money (filmed in Sydney, Hong Kong and Miami) and Brawler (shot in New Orleans). Former Weinstein Co. exec Mike Radiloff has joined as president of marketing and distribution.
Around the 'net...
What Went Wrong With Battleship?
A power shortage in the cast... An underrecognized source property... A failure to reach young men... The Battleship box-office post mortem is officially underway as experts determine what sunk Universal's costly would-be blockbuster in the US. THRreports.
German Director Promises "the Real Fassbinder"
Marco Kreuzpaintner is set to revive his influential, short-lived filmmaking compatriot Rainer Werner Fassbinder to life in his next project, Rainer. "It will be a homage to his movies," Kreuzpaintner said of the projct, which he described as less a straightforward biopic than a melodrama. "But we want to show the real Fassbinder, will all the dirt, drugs and excess." THR reports.
Rupert Everett Gets Wilde with The Happy Prince
The actor and Oscar Wilde devotee will make his writing-directing debut with a tragicomic chronicle of the writer's final days. Colin Firth, Emily Watson an Tom Wilkinson are attached to co-star; Variety reports.
Are you obsessed with designer ladies' shoes, or do you know a woman who is? (Aren't we all? Let's go shopping, OMGZ!) Then here's the documentary for you: God Save My Shoes, from director Julie Benasra, which purports to be "the first documentary to explore the intimate relationship that ties women to their shoes." Watch Fergie, Dita von Teese, and a bunch of other real life Carrie Bradshaws gush over their Louboutins in the film's trailer (which, incidentally -- of course -- includes Louboutin himself).
Look, I like shoes as much as the next girl. And there are certain angles to this exploration of the ladies' shoe that could be fascinating enough. (Why is a stiletto so sexy? Because it elongates your silhouette and can double as a murder weapon, perhaps? Discuss.) But this chick caressing the curve of her pump, these ladies drooling over their shoe caverns, Fergie Ferg insisting that shoes tell the world who you are... I can't even.
And then there's Kelly Rowland, credited as "Singer/Former Destiny's Child/Shoe Mommy." SHOE MOMMY. Is that a thing?? (Seriously, what is that?) Maybe Shoe Mommy is what she calls herself because, apparently, she names her shoes like they're her children.
After a whirlwind press tour spent stymieing journalists in character as his General Aladeen of the Republic of Wadiya, Dictator comedian Sacha Baron Cohen sat with the BBC for a rare straight interview — no costume, no shenanigans, no spilling the ashes of late despots on unsuspecting talking heads. The result: An actually coherent, fascinating filmed chat with Cohen about toeing the line of sensitivity with his despotism comedy, why he almost never gives interviews as himself, and how he took inspiration from the "ludicrous" power-hungry dictators of the world.
Cohen (who's rather handsome when not in character!) spoke with BBC reporter Will Gompertz in Cannes, citing a few of his favorite dictators, so to speak:
"I had always found Colonel Gaddafi hilarious, and I wanted to do a character that was inspired by him. I had all these other ludicrous characters like Türkmenbaşy, who was the president and dictator of Turkmenistan, who renamed the day Thursday and the word for bread after his mother. When the doctor told him to give up smoking, he banned smoking from the whole country because he didn’t want to be reminded of cigarettes. And then you had someone like Kim Jong-il who claimed to have hit nine holes in one in his first ever game of golf. And obviously Colonel Gaddafi who had these 30 virgin guards, dressed unintentionally like a 60-year-old woman and would often break wind when being interviewed for the BBC..."
To read Movieline's review of The Dictator, head here.
As Cannes hits the half-way mark Monday night with the world premiere of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's Like Someone in Love, momentum for the coveted top prize, the Palme d'Or, appears — for now — to be with German-born director Michael Haneke's Amour (Love). Not to say there are not some strong fellow contenders, and the whims of any jury member may run counter, near or parallel to general opinion. But here are some of Palme d'Or's other big suitors at the mid-way point.
Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom received mostly positive accolades by attendees, with one journalist commenting at the press conference on the opening day that "it was a surprisingly good opening film." Opening titles at Cannes (or other festivals for that matter) are often not the strongest of any lineup, or even in the top tier, though they usually offer up some kind of flash in the form of stars.
Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone came out of the gate strong. Its early morning press screening concluded at the Lumière with rounds of applause and chatter among some attendees was that it's the director's best film — and his most accessible. But the film has its detractors, though any eventual Palme d'Or winner isn't without its critics.
Also among the big Official Selection competitors this year, Reality by Italian director Matteo Garrone passed muster. Garrone was hailed back in 2008 for the Naples mob feature Gomorrah, receiving the Cannes Grand Prix. His latest has not generated the same emotional responses of that film, but it has achieved sustained reaction. John Hillcoat's Prohibition-set Lawless has picked up boosters and detractors since its debut Saturday. Some fest-goers have praised the director's use of violence — it's raw and quick.
One of the many trade print editions here in Cannes declared that Danish director Thomas Vinterberg "is back" with his latest film, Jagten (The Hunt). He was a toast of Cannes back in 1998 for The Celebration, part of the Danish Dogme 95 movement he spearheaded along with fellow Dane filmmaker, Lars von Trier. Von Trier has gone on to attend many a Cannes, occasionally putting his foot in his mouth publicly (he awkwardly joked that he "understood Hitler" last year) but he consistently makes headlines worldwide.
Finally, this may be a bit of a long-shot, but hey, Cannes can be unpredictable. In 2010 Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul smashed through the establishment and grabbed the Palme d'Or for his film about, well... Uncle Boonmee recalling his past lives. So perhaps a bit of a wild card might be Ulrich Seidl's Paradies: Liebe (Paradise: Love). The premise goes something like this: Middle-agish European women travel to Africa seeking the affections of African boys. The movie is essentially about Euro-cougars who head down to Africa to get it on with young African men who earn a living satisfying their yearnings. The promo-material journalists received in their mailboxes at the Palais des Festivals is pretty straightforward: Plumpish naked women; lean, naked African 20-somethings... you get the picture.
Check out the clip below of Paradies and some of the other competition films that have screened so far, with accompanying official Cannes Film Festival descriptions:
Moonrise Kingdom:
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way.
Amour
Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple's bond of love is severely tested.
Rust and Bone (De Rouilles et D'Os)
Ali suddenly finds himself in charge of Sam, his 5-year-old son that he barely knows. Penniless and without friends, he leaves the north of France to seek shelter at his sister’s in Antibes. Even though she and her husband do not have much money, they make a room for them in their garage and take care of Sam.
Ali finds work as a bouncer at a local nightclub. After diffusing a fight one evening, he meets Stephanie, a beautiful, self-confident woman. He takes her home and leaves her his number. But she is a princess and he is a poor fellow. Stephanie is a killer whale trainer at the local Marineland. After a terrible accident one day, Ali gets an unexpected phone call from Stephanie. When he sees her again she is crammed into a wheelchair. She has lost both her legs and her dreams. Ali will share genuine moments with her, without pity, and help her to live again...
Lawless Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant brothers, bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel The Wettest County In The World, the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave.
Jagten (The Hunt)
Following a tough divorce, 40-year-old Lucas has a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of reestablishing his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus. But things go awry. Not a lot. Just a passing remark. A random lie. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like an invisible virus. The shock and mistrust gets out of hand, and the small community suddenly finds itself in a collective state of hysteria, while Lucas fights a lonely fight for his life and dignity.
(In Danish)
Reality
Luciano is a Neapolitan fishmonger who supplements his modest income by pulling off little scams with his wife Maria. A likeable, entertaining guy, Luciano never misses an opportunity to perform for his customers and countless relatives. One day his family urge him to try out for Big Brother. In chasing this dream his perception of reality begins to change.
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