The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog has broken the story that producer Joel Silver’s two-decades in the gestation adaptation of DC Comics’ classic World War Two comic character Sgt. Rock has hired yet another writer for the project who is taking a rather radical approach to the material- He intends to move the war time adventures of Rock and the men of Easy Company from the trenches of war torn Europe to the future.

Producer Joel Silver has hired Chad St. John to write this new take on the material based on the strength of his unproduced spec script The Days Before. St. John has also written the remake of Outland that is currently still in development. Previously Brian Helgeland, John Milius, David Peoples, Jeffrey Boam, Steven De Souza, John Cox and Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo have all tried their hands at scripting the film.

Sgt. Rock first appeared in a 1959 issue of DC’s war anthology series Our Army At War, becoming so popular that the book was simply renamed Sgt. Rock in 1977. The series published its last issue in 1988 and according to DC continuity, Rock died on the last day of World War Two from the last bullet fired in the conflict.

One of the reasons given for this rather stupid move is the anticipated high cost of a full-tilt, World War Two would be too pr0hibited. But a movie set in the future with all the needed special effects needed to realize that world would somehow cost less? I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t seem to make much sense. Take a look at what some people are reporting as the budget for James Cameron’s sci-fi war film Avatar. Even if those numbers are inflated, and they probably are, are you still trying to tell me that it would be cheaper than a proper World War Two era film?

The Reporter article also states that World War Two films have been out of vogue in Hollywood for a while, but as we know, that kind of thinking is fairly short-sighted. Instead of trying to cash in on the latest hot thing, they should be looking for the next hot thing. If no one is doing a World War Two movie, perhaps doing an amazing, action-packed war film will give ticket buyers an exciting alternative to the same-old same-old that is usually available at the local cineplex.

But when you boil it down, I think that there is just one word that can be  uttered in the face of a movie that takes a character and then proceeds to strip them of all their identifying features and place them into a new context- Catwoman.

This really doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Back in June, we told you that the negotiations for the remake had stalled when a lawsuit erupted between the publishers of the original manga and the producers of Wook-Park’s film as to the ownership of the film rights that Spielberg, Universal and Dreamworks wanted.

In addition to Smith being attached to the project as the star, scripter Mark Protosevich had been assigned the task of adapting the mateial into a screenplay. It is unknown whether he actually started work or not.

To be fair, from all accounts, The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus sounds like a tough film to synopsize on a poster. And while this US poster is certainly not as good as the Lily Cole-centric United Kingdom poster we brought to you a few weeks ago, it certainly isn’t as cringe inducingly bad as the John Neville’s-head-as-hot-air-balloon monstrosity that Columbia put together for Gilliam’s 1989 masterpiece The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen.

Via SlashFilm.

This past summer, a short scene involving La Toya Jackson was snipped out of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno just days before its release, following the death of Jackson’s pop star brother Michael Jackson two weeks earlier. And given the scene’s dependence on La Toya’s relationship with her brother, it is easy to see why the scene was trimmed. While stories circulated that the scenes would not be restored to the film, it was never precluded that the sequence wouldn’t appear as a DVD extra, which is exactly what has happened. The scene, which we have as a preview of the upcoming DVDand Blu-rayrelease, is indeed a special feature on the home release scheduled for November 17.

With his marriage falling apart, newspaper man, and book author Ronson-substitute, Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) stumbles across what may be the story of the year- That the military had spent years and millions of dollars on an initiative designed to produce soldiers with super powers. Pursuing a lead all the way to the Persian Gulf, he has a chance encounter with Lyn Cassady (George Clooney, sporting a mustache that makes him look like Dennis Farina), who offers to take the journalist into war torn Iraq to supply proof of the top-secret program’s existence.

But this modern day story line is just a skeleton to hang the meatier, more farcical tale of the program’s history, told in flashback by Lyn to Bob as the two make their way across the desert. The program’s roots stretch back to the Vietnam War and one Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), who manages to sell his superiors on the idea that US soldiers could be equipped with a variety of paranormal abilities up to and including the ability to stop a goat’s heart telekinetically. (Just in case we ever go to war with goats, I guess.)

There are plenty laughs to be had at the juxtaposition of Django’s hippy, trippy New Age-y training techniques against the rigidity of traditional military training. And there are the metatextual chuckles to be had at Star Wars prequel star McGregor expressing disbelief in a program designed to create real world “Jedi warriors.” Some of the absurdities are left for the audience to discover. A careful observer will note that the all the members of the doesn’t-officially-exist army unit still have a special unit patch on their uniform.

While Clooney has always been known as a sex symbol and a fine dramatic actor, he works his comedy chops to good effect here. Using the maxim that less is more, he infuses his character with such a sense of belief in his supposed powers that at times we are tempted to believe in them too. But much like his performance in the Ocean’s movies, it is the small things, twitches, line deliveries and reactions, that illicit laughs.

Even at a short 90 minutes, the film does manage to drag a bit at the end when it abandons its flashback structure as Bob and Lyn reach their destination, a military installation being run by another former member of the program played by Kevin Spacey. This is the section where characters are supposed to redeem and redefine themselves, but the film doesn’t quite deliver on this as some of the character arcs are never fully developed to begin with. Unfortunately, it leaves the finale of the film as vague and undefined as the results of the military program it chronicles.

The story, in case you don’t know, is about an old curmudgeon named Ebenezer Scrooge who doesn’t know the meaning of Christmas. He is visited by three ghosts who show him the error of his ways.

Jim Carrey is doing some heavy lifting in this one. He not only portrays Scrooge at all ages of his life, but he also plays the three ghosts. The rest of the cast, and there are a few roles left over, are filled with some very fine actors such as Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins.

Of course, great cast aside, you’d have to deal with that animation technique which, quite frankly, scares me. I’m not sure why it does, but it does.  Also, while I know department stores have had their Christmas decorations out for weeks now, isn’t it a wee bit too for a Christmas movie? Films have a shorter shelf life than wrapping paper.

2. The Box (Warner Brothers, 2,635 Theaters, 115 minutes, Rated PG-13): Yes, this is a concept that the producers hope will raise a lot of questions with the audience. It raises a lot of questions with me, but not the kind the producers will like.

A couple gets a box with what looks like one of those “Easy” buttons they sell at Staples. A mysterious stranger arrives and says that if they push the button, they’ll get $1 million. But, and here’s the catch, someone they don’t know somewhere in the world will die.

If this sounds like a cheesy Twilight Zone remake, it is. Not the classic Rod Serling version, but the less classic 1980s version. So you know what you’re getting.

What they want you to ask yourself is, “would I do it?” They want you to undergo the same sort of moral turmoil that the character’s in the film face.

My questions are, can this story get any more convoluted? Would you really believe a man who only has half a face who comes to your door from out of nowhere, no matter what he said? And what’s the deal with the taked on “your wife is going to die and you’re going to kill her” part?  That was not in the original story and doesn’t seem to be an addition that would improve this film.  

3. The Fourth Kind (Universal, 2,529 Theaters, 98 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Finally! A sequel to the classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind! The one film to revitalize Richard Dreyfuss’ career!

This time the aliens are back and they’re pissed! Do Do Do Do Doooo yourself, losers! There…wait…this is not a sequel? It’s about alien abductions? In Alaska?

Oh. Well. Nevermind!

Is it just me, or do the ads for this movie seem very similar to the ads for Paranormal Activity? Now, the films are coming out too close together for this not to be a coincidence, but still. I wonder how many people who made Paranormal Activity a number one film will do the same for this one.

4. The Men Who Stare At Goats (Overture Films, 2,443 Theaters, 93 Minutes, Rated R): If I had to go see only on film this week, I’d pick this one. It looks great.

First off, the cast is terrific. The four actors in the poster to the right are some of my favorites of all time. To see George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, and Ewan McGregor work together should be great. And there are a lot of great actors in the supporting cast too.

Also, the story seems too goofy to be believed. It deal with a top secret government project where soldiers with superpowers were trained to be weapons of mass destruction. Clooney plays on of these weapons, whose power seems to be being able to kill goats by staring at them. I don’t know much more than that, but that is far and away enough. 

However, the newly released trailer for the film below shows that Disney has at least sunk a load of money into the project. And Jerry Bruckheimer is producing and he is the guy who managed to turn a theme park ride about pirates into a really good movie. Of course, he also managed to produce two rather disappointing sequels to that really good movie.

A pumped up Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Prince Dastan with Gemma Arterton and Alfred Molina co-starring. And hey, it’s got Sir Ben Kingsley chewing scenery as the bad guy, so that’s something to look forward to.

Take a look at the trailer below and let us know what you think.

And here’s some new pictures from the production. Click to enlarge-

Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time hits theaters next May 28.

I have to say that I am still pleasantly surprised that Rodriguez has gotten this film off the ground, considering how poorly Grindhouse did at the box office. If Machette succeeds, will we see more of Grindhouse’s faux trailers getting the feature length treatment? Ely Roth has stated wanting to do a full-length version of Thanksgiving. And I really want to see Nic Cage as Fu Manchu in Werewolf Women Of The SS!

And here’s the “original,” Not Safe For Work Machette trailer.

And if you haven’t seen the film yet, you’re in for a treat. Paley combines several different styles to retell s story out of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Sita is the wife of Prince Rama, who in a bit of palace intrigue is banished to live in the wilderness. When she is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana, Sita remains true to her husband whom she knows will come and rescue you her. A second story that draws parallels to the the main story focuses on a woman whose marriage is strained when her husband takes a job oversees.

Sita Sings The Blues earned stellar reviews and numerous awards, but never got picked up for distribution due to one minor hiccup- The 1920s jazz recordings of Annette Hanshaw that Paley uses to have Sita comment on her situation at various points in the film were not in the public domain as the director first thought. Although she was able to hammer out a deal with the music’s copyright holders to keep the film available, the legal situation kept distributors from picking up the film.

The upside of this is that you can download the film for free in a variety of formats from its official website or watch online at YouTube (embedded below). Paley is not making a dime from making it available this way, but does see some money from the sales of t-shirts and the like, so think about adding something Sita-related to your wardrobe.

Millar made the ambiguous statement this weekend on his website, stating-

Bet you didn’t see THAT coming, laddies and lassies!

But this is one of several big surprises planned for next year and you’ll hear a bit more about this in February when we start to release details. What is it? Who is it about? Well, that’s all a secret for now, but I learned a lot from Kick-Ass and love having the same creative freedom I have with comics when I work in cinema. I never want to be a studio bitch and go in there pitching for them to love me. The closest I came to this was a couple of calls regarding Superman, but pretty much none of my plans ever revealed as I didn’t like the idea of anyone nicking them.

Similarly, I don’t like the idea of asking for funding and justifying scenes with the money-men so I’m doing what Matthew Vaughn did with Kick-Ass and just making it outside the system with private investors. The financing is all secured and the movie stands or falls on how good I can make it, doing what Matthew did and just selling it once completed.

As you can imagine, I couldn’t be more excited. More as it happens, but this might just beat out War Heroes and American Jesus as my follow-ups to the Wanted and Kick-Ass movies. Have two other pictures about to go into development (and Wanted and Kick-Ass 2, of course), but I think you need to scare the Hell out of yourself every once in a while and something totally new like directing should do the trick.

The big question: Are you allowed to direct without wearing a baseball cap? Is it the modern version of the 70s BEARD?

So what does this mean? I think that we can assume that since he is doing this film independently that it is probably not a DC or Marvel Comics characters, as they are all pretty much tied up with their various corporate entanglements. However, there’s not much in his work outside of the “Big Two” that would fall under the superhero umbrella. Of the two, Wanted was turned into a film last year and an adaptation of Kick Ass directed by Matthew Vaughn is currently in post production.

That leaves us with two possibilities- 1)Millar will be tackling another creator’s character, which doesn’t strike me as likely, or; 2) this superhero character may be an original creation of Millar’s who hasn’t appeared in a comic yet. This is definitely a story we’ll be keeping an eye on.

Millar has been recently flirting with the edges of Hollywood. In the summer of 2008, he made some noise about a take on Superman he wanted to pitch to the execs at Warner Brothers. Before that, he was one of several Marvel Comics writers who met with Jon Favreau to consult on the first Iron Man script.

Not convinced? Well, just a flip through the issue will show you why more people are flocking to read it.

The cover feature, a previously unpublished interview with tough guy actor Lee Marvin is pretty much worth the price of admission. Conducted in 1974 while Marvin was filming the The Klansman, the usually guarded actor spoke candidly about his career, especially some interesting comments on the recently released Hell In The Pacific and why it might not have done so well at the box-office. In an era where celebrity interviews are micromanaged to only promote their current project and avoid saying anything remotely controversial, this interview comes off as remarkably refreshing. And the interview is only one third of the magazine’s Lee Marvin coverage, as it also offers an appreciation of the actor’s 1972 film Prime Cut and a look at the making of The Klansman.

But Marvin’s films aren’t the only tough guy cinema touched on in the magazine. Escape From Alcatraz’s writer Richard Tuggle talks about being a neophyte screenwriter trying to wrestle the true story of an escape from a purportedly escape-proof prison into a shootable script.

While many cinephiles may dismiss the 1960s series of five Fu Manchu movies out of England starring Christopher Lee as the evil doctor as mere B-movie fluff, that hasn’t stopped Cinema Retro from doing a fantastic, eight-page look at the first film in the series The Face Of Fu Manchu.

Of course, as Cinema Retro’s coverage manages to be so in depth, many of its features have to be serialized over several issues. This edition sees the third and final installment of a look at the action films adapted from the novels of Alister MacLean, the second part of a career-spanning interview with James Caan and part seven (!) of their on-going series examining the films that were edited together out of episodes of The Man From UNCLE for European release.

Cinema Retro #15 is on news stands now.

There have been a few attempts to get a new Roger Rabbit film off the ground since the first film proved such a hit for Disney back in 1988. The first, subtitled The Toon Platoon, focused on Roger heading to Hollywood to find the mother who gave him up for adoption only to enlist in World War Two and save a beautiful red-headed ‘toon by the name of Jessica from a Nazi agent.  A later attempt saw Roger heading to Broadway where he falls for a beautiful red-headed ‘toon chorus girl named Jessica.

Of course, what made the original such a hit was the seamless interaction of hand-drawn animated characters with flesh and blood ones. Zemeckis has often talked about his love of motion capture driven computer animation, the process he has used for his last few films. Is he hoping to replace all the wonderful work done by animation supervisor Richard Williams and his crew on the first film with some computer generated version of Roger, Jessica and Baby Herman? I hope not, but I have a bad feeling that he may be leaning that way.

Tropic Thunder

And that’s it… There’s not much else to report about the project. Stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and director Barry Sonnenfeld have not commented as to whether they’ll be back for this new installment in some capacity or not, but I expect that it’ll depend on on whether they like what pops out of Cohen’s computer or not. So long as they bring back the lovely Rosario Dawson…

But has Cohen the goods to deliver a script that is at least better than the disappointing Men In Black II? Tropic Thunder was a fairly solid comedy built on a rather good high concept, though he was working with Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux. He has worked with Mike Judge a lot, first on episodes of Beavis & Butthead and King Of The Hill and then on Judge’s second feature film Idiocracy. He also has a couple of projects in development including Candy Land and a Sherlock Holmes comedy for Will Farrell.

It is Odin who banishes Thor to Earth to learn humility and where the God of Thunder becomes a superhero to the people of the modern world. The Thor film will share continuity with the Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man films, the recent Incredible Hulk and the upcoming Captain America and Avengers comic book adaptations, making it possible for characters who have appeared in these films to possible show up in Thor.

Hopkins’s casting marks perhaps the last major role needing to be filled for the movie, which starts production in January. Star Trek’s Chris Hemsworth is playing Thor, with Tom Hiddelston as his brother and nemesis, Loki, and Natalie Portman playing Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster.

I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed that the rumor from back at the beginning of summer that Brian Blessid was going to play Odin won’t be panning out. I thought he had an incredible charisma and robustness needed to play the king of the Norse gods. Hopkins’s casting suggests a more quiet, thoughtful and cunning interpretation of the character.

Now that we’ve got a cast, let’s see some costumes!

Via Variety.

If you call your self a horror film fan and you have not seen The Evil Dead, then you need to rethink how you label yourself. Raimi’s debut film is fairly unrelenting and Bruce Campbell cemented himself as a genre star as the slightly dimwitted Ash, who must fend for himself when an innocent weekend at a secluded cabin in the woods turns deadly as an evil force kills and than reanimates the bodies of his friends.

And if you are a fan of the series, have you checked out Bill Warren’s excellent book The Evil Dead Companion? It’s chock full of information on how all three films in the series were made and is the authoritative text on the films.