Akiva Goldsman

Colin Farrell Offered Lead in Akiva Goldsman’s Directorial Debut, WINTER’S TALE

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 26th, 2012 at 7:20 pm

Colin Farrell has been offered the male lead in Akiva Goldsman’s directorial debut, Winter’s Tale.  The female lead is set with Jessica Brown Findlay playing a dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her West Side Manhattan mansion.  Farrell, if he takes the role in the Warner Bros. picture, would play the thief in this supernatural drama that occurs both in the 19th century and in contemporary times.  Winter’s Tale, based on the 1983 novel by Mark Helprin, also stars Russell Crowe and Will Smith in supporting roles.  Shooting is set to begin in New York on October 15th.  Hit the jump to see who else could fill the role if Farrell opts out.

JOURNEY 2 Director Brad Peyton to Write and Helm Comic Adaptation LOBO

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 20th, 2012 at 12:55 pm

The long-in-development feature film adaptation of the DC Comic Lobo now has new life.  Deadline reports that Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton has been set by Warner Bros. to rewrite and direct an adaptation of the alien bounty hunter character.  Guy Ritchie was previously attached to direct the project, but subsequently fell out.  The character is an anti-hero who was created by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen “as an indictment of the Punisher, Wolverine, hero prototype” but ironically became popular for his violent tendencies.

One could see Guy Ritchie making a fairly entertaining adaptation of the character, but choosing the guy who made Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore to direct is just baffling.  It’s slightly possible that his take could be just as raw and edgy as the comic calls for, but I’m doubtful.  Whatever the case, WB must have taken a liking to Peyton’s pitch as he’ll be handling a rewrite of the script himself.  First up, though, Peyton has a third installment of the Journey franchise to direct.

Jessica Brown Findlay to Star in Akiva Goldsman’s WINTER’S TALE; Aaron Johnson and Garrett Hedlund Frontrunners for Male Lead

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 21st, 2012 at 8:34 am

Several weeks ago, we reported that Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) was in the running for the lead female role in writer-director Akiva Goldman‘s adaptation of Mark Helprin‘s novel Winter’s Tale.  Today, Deadline reports that Findlay has nabbed the role of “the dying young woman who falls in love with a thief who breaks into her home, a palatial West Side mansion, in a drama that takes place in 19th Century and contemporary Manhattan.”  Deadline adds that Aaron Johnson and Garrett Hedlund are the frontrunners to play the thief.  As we previously reported, Russell Crowe and Will Smith, who worked with Goldsman on A Beautiful Mind and I Am Legend, respectively, will have small supporting roles in the film.  Goldsman is making his directorial debut on Winter’s Tale, and shooting is set to begin on October 15th in New York.

I haven’t seen Downton Abbey, but I’ve only heard raves about the show, so I’ll assume that Findlay is great on it.  Hit the jump for a synopsis for Helprin’s novel.

Warner Bros. in Talks to Make THE DARK TOWER; Ron Howard to Direct; Javier Bardem May Star

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 12th, 2012 at 5:31 pm

Fans of Stephen King’s post-apocalyptic epic The Dark Tower will be happy to hear that the troubled film adaptation has some new life at a new studio. We have reports that Warner Bros. is close to a deal that would give the go-ahead on the project with Ron Howard directing at least the first film. Javier Bardem has also been mentioned as possibly starring as gunslinger Roland Deschain. After Universal passed on Howard’s script last summer, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman and producer Brian Grazer toyed with the idea of turning the property into a television series and made significant budget cuts to get the project moving. With the TV series set up at HBO, it was up to Howard and Grazer to find a home for the feature. It looks like that’s got some legs now, as Warner Bros. is paying Goldsman to do a polish on his script. While Bardem was previously attached when the picture was at Universal, his involvement going forward will depend on his availability. Projections have the film slated to begin production in early 2013. Hit the jump for more on The Dark Tower.

Steve Carell May Lead MAGIC KINGDOM FOR SALE—SOLD!

by Matt Currie    Posted: March 9th, 2012 at 2:09 pm

As The Office wanders the airwaves like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense (refusing to admit it’s been dead this whole season), Steve Carell continues to prove that he most assuredly won the break-up with a host of interesting and lucrative projects. Now comes word that the in-demand comedian is attached to Warner Bros.’ blockbuster comedy Magic Kingdom For Sale—Sold!.

Adapted from fantasy author Terry Brooks’1986 novel, Kingdom will see Carell slide into the role of lawyer Ben Holiday who, desperate to start over in the wake of his pregnant wife’s death, shells out $1 million to purchase the rights to a magical kingdom he sees in a catalog. After being magically transported to this magic kingdom, however, Ben finds himself with a bit of a lemon, as the land is in utter disarray and in danger from a malevolent evil, a malevolent evil that, presumably, can only be defeated by Carell’s signature good-natured hilarity. Written by Craig Wright (Lost), the film is currently in need of a director. Hit the jump for more.

Akiva Goldsman and Warner Bros. to Adapt Supernatural Comic LUCID

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 9th, 2012 at 7:36 am

Warner Bros. and writer-producer Akiva Goldsman (I Am Legend, Fringe) are looking to turn the comic mini-series Lucid into a feature film. Variety reports that WB has picked up the rights to the series for Goldsman to develop and produce as a potential new franchise. The studio has been pretty aggressively on the hunt lately for new titles to fill the Harry Potter void, and this project is right up the fantasy alley. Described as “a tale of what would happen to Harry Potter if he grew up and joined the CIA,” the four-book series takes place in a world where magic is real and our world leaders have secret agents working to stave off supernatural threats. The protagonist is a young agent, “recently appointed ‘Protector of the Realm’ ” who is tasked with combating an occult technology dealer with his skills as both a covert spy and and expert in magic. Hit the jump for more.

Benjamin Walker, Tom Hiddleston, Lily Colins, Bella Heathcote, and Jessica Brown Findlay Testing for WINTER’S TALE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 28th, 2012 at 8:11 pm

Akiva Goldsman has spent the last several years developing an adaptation of Mark Helprin‘s novel Winter’s Tale.  He signed a deal this time last year to make Winter’s Tale his directorial debut, but the progress was impeded when the budget for the supernatural period thriller became a concern at Warner Bros.  Goldsman turned to a pair of marketable A-listers he’s worked with for help: Russell Crowe (Goldsman wrote A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man) and Will Smith (I, Robot and I Am Legend) have agreed to appear in the film, so the project is back on track with $20 million subtracted from the projected budget.  Goldsman is now looking to cast the young leads: Heat Vision hears Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Tom Hiddleston (Thor), Lily Collins (Abduction), Bella Heathcote (In Time), and Jessica Brown Findlay (Downtown Abbey) will undergo testing over the next two weeks.

The early 20th-century tale centers on “a thief on the run who, when breaking into a wealthy man’s home, strikes up a relationship with the man’s terminally ill daughter.”  Hit the jump for the full book synopsis.

Warner Bros. Still Trying to Make another I AM LEGEND Movie

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 17th, 2012 at 9:17 am

Despite missing the point of Richard Matheson‘s original novel and using crummy CG, I Am Legend made $585 million worldwide because that’s just what Will Smith does.  For those who missed the flick, Smith played scientist Robert Neville, the last man in a post-apocalyptic world that was taken over by mutant vampires.  Back in September 2008, we reported that Warner Bros. had hired D.B. Weiss (now the co-creator of Game of Thrones) to pen the screenplay for a prequel based on input by Smith, I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence, producer James Lassiter, and co-writer Akiva Goldsman.  Then the movie lapsed into development hell, and I hoped it would stay there.

But Warner Bros. has remembered the dormant project, and now they along with Overbrook Entertainment and Goldsman have closed a deal to make another installment in the franchise.  Hit the jump for more.

Akiva Goldsman Lands Russell Crowe and Will Smith for Directorial Debut WINTER’S TALE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 11:53 am

Exactly one year ago today, we reported that Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) was set to make his directorial debut with an adaptation of Mark Helprin’s novel Winter’s Tale. The fantasy tells the story of a thief, a dying girl, and a flying white horse in 19th century and contemporary Manhattan. The $75 million film was set up at Warner Bros., but we’ve heard practically nothing about the project since that announcement. Apparently the film has been languishing at the studio over financial issues (why wouldn’t WB want to pay $75 million for a drama starring a flying horse?), but now Goldsman’s project has gained a considerable amount of steam with two casting coups: Russell Crowe and Will Smith. Hit the jump for more, including a synopsis of the novel.

Akiva Goldsman Sets Up Doc Holliday Series at HBO; Ron Howard Attached to Direct the Pilot

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: November 21st, 2011 at 7:23 pm

The Old West just got a new TV series treatment in the form of Hell on Wheels on AMC. Now HBO, who already delved into the drama with Deadwood, is heading back to the saloon. Deadline has word that Akiva Goldsman, the writer behind films like A Beautiful Mind, I Am Legend and more than a dozen episodes of Fringe, has set up a new two-year overall at HBO which begins with an untitled Western drama series about Doc Holliday. Accepted screenwriters Adam Cooper and Bill Collage will write the series which is inspired by Mary Doria Russell’s novel Doc and also executive produce with Goldsman. In addition, Ron Howard is attached to direct the pilot if the series is ordered. Guess that gestating Dark Tower adaptation really got Howard and Goldsman deep into the Western genre.

A big focus of the series will be a story from Holliday’s life never before told on the screen: a love triangle between the gunslinger, his prostitute wife Kate Elder and his best friend and Old West icon Wyatt Earp. For a rundown of Russell’s novel, check out the synopsis and review of the book after the jump.

Universal Passes on Ron Howard’s Film and Television Adaptation of THE DARK TOWER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 18th, 2011 at 4:51 pm

It may have been too good to be true. After first committing to an incredibly ambitious adaptation of Stephen King’s series The Dark Tower that spanned three films and two seasons of a TV show, Universal put the brakes on the project asking director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman to scale the project down to make for a more feasible budget. The summer start date was pushed back to early next year while everyone involved worked to bring the budget down.

Well now it looks like the new version of the adaptation wasn’t scaled-down enough, as Universal has passed on financing the ambitious undertaking. Hit the jump for the details.

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer Talk THE DARK TOWER, Give Update on Reduced-Budget Script Changes

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 21st, 2011 at 8:34 am

To say Ron Howard’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is ambitious is a bit of an understatement. When the project was first announced, it was hard to believe that something like that could get made in this budget-conscious age. Howard and producer Brian Grazer’s plan for The Dark Tower was to make three films and two seasons of a TV show, with the TV components bridging the gap between the larger-scale films. When it actually looked like this crazy concoction might happen, Universal pulled the production start-date (which was supposed to be this fall) and was working with Howard and co. to bring the budget down.

While some fans were concerned that the whole project may be waylaid, Howard and Grazer recently sat down to talk about the adaptation and they seem quite optimistic, stating that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is now at work rewriting his screenplays to bring the budget down. Hit the jump to see what else the producing duo had to say about The Dark Tower.

Universal Working to Bring THE DARK TOWER Budget Down, Pushes Start Date Back

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 13th, 2011 at 1:27 pm

Maybe it really was just too good to be true. Last week, we reported that Universal was reconsidering their commitment to Ron Howard’s insanely ambitious adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, which would span three feature films and two seasons of a TV show. Now THR reports that the project will remain at Universal, but Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have regrouped and are attempting to bring what most certainly has to be a mammoth budget down to something more feasible.

The fall production start date has now been shelved, with no replacement date announced, but it’s rumored that they may be ready to go sometime early next year. However, what this means for star Javier Bardem’s involvement is unclear. His deal requires a great deal of his time be blocked out for the series, but pushing the start date back may interfere with other projects the actor has lined up. Howard will be directing at least the first film and first episode of the TV series. For now, we can be thankful that the project wasn’t shelved altogether. To catch up on all our coverage of The Dark Tower so far, click here.

Darren Aronofsky May Next Direct Sci-Fi Film HUMAN NATURE Starring George Clooney

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Just over a month ago, director Darren Aronofsky dropped out of The Wolverine at the last minute. The project, which was set to start filming in March, was left in a state of limbo without a director and with their shooting location of Japan ravaged by a giant earthquake. Now, it looks like Aronofsky is closing in on his next directorial effort following last year’s critical lauded Black Swan.

Vulture reports that Aronofsky is eyeing the sci-fi film Human Nature. The spec script by Jeff Welch, which has been around for 15 years, centers on “man who is cryogenically frozen and wakes up years later to a world in which humans have become pets of another species.” George Clooney is attaching himself to star, with producer Akiva Goldsman (I Am Legend) currently budgeting the flick. If everything works out, this is expected to be the director’s next project. Aronofsky, Clooney and sci-fi? Count me in.

Mark Verheiden to Co-Write THE DARK TOWER TV Series With Akiva Goldsman

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 12th, 2011 at 7:38 pm

Universal Pictures and sister company NBC Universal Television Entertainment have massive plans to adapt The Dark Tower, the sprawling series of horror-fantasy novels by Stephen King.  Up first is a Dark Tower feature film, the first in a planned trilogy.  Ron Howard will direct, Javier Bardem will play Roland Deschain.  Then NBC will premiere a Dark Tower television series to bridge the gaps between films.  Deadline reports Mark Verheiden has signed on to co-write and executive produce the series with Akiva Goldsman (Fringe).

Prior reports suggest the first TV season serves as a prequel.  After the release of the second film, Bardem will take over the role for the second season.  Verheiden’s resume is steeped in genre fare: Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Caprica.  More recently, Verheiden was co-executive producer on the alien invasion series Falling Skies, which premieres June 19 on TNT.

Read a synopsis for the Dark Tower series after the break.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design