Brian Grazer

WARRIOR Director Gavin O’Connor to Helm Thriller YAKUZA

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 1:53 pm

I have yet to catch director Gavin O’Connor’s fighter drama Warrior, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about the Tom Hardy/Joel Edgerton-fronted pic.  The film earned positive reviews, and O’Connor landed on the director shortlist for The Wolverine.  While he didn’t end up filling the director’s chair for the superhero sequel, he’s now set to direct another film that also takes place in Japan.  Deadline reports that O’Connor will direct the Universal Pictures thriller Yakuza, which centers on “an American intelligence expert who becomes embroiled in the affairs of a notorious yakuza godfather and finds himself plunged into the violent criminal underworld and toxic landscape of post-tsunami Japan.”

O’Connor will rewrite the script with Josh Fagin, and Brian Grazer is onboard to produce.  The director is also attached to helm the Peter Pan reimagining Neverland, as well as the thriller The Samurai for Warner Bros.  No word on which of the three projects will go first, but O’Connor has lined up a promising post-Warrior slate.

New Adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 Planned

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 21st, 2012 at 7:31 pm

Soon, the dystopian novel to which all other dystopian novels are compared will be featured in a new adaptation. George Orwell’s genre-defining 1984 is being put into production via a joint effort of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment along with Julie Yorn’s LBI Entertainment. The now-classic tale of Winston Smith, a company man for the Ministry of Truth who spends his days writing revisionist history for the government only to act on dreams of rebellion and his desire for love, will get a modern interpretation. Street artist Shepard Fairey, best known for his design of the “Hope” poster for President Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Election campaign, was reportedly instrumental in bringing the project to the studios; this is interesting in part due to the amount of propaganda and “cult of personality” that 1984 deals with. The producing group is currently on the search for writers to establish a direction on the project before setting it up at a studio. For more on 1984, hit the jump; we’re watching.

24 Movie Not Going Forward This Year; Script Apparently Sets Up Possible Trilogy

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 14th, 2012 at 8:36 am

Fans eager to see the 24 movie get going are gonna have to wait a bit longer. While all signs pointed to the feature film adaptation of the popular Fox TV series going into production this spring, Deadline reports that 20th Century Fox has decided not to go forward with the film this year. Apparently budget issues are to blame, and the studio wasn’t convinced everything could be worked out in time to shoot the movie before star Kiefer Sutherland has to report back for the second season of his new series Touch this fall (if it’s renewed). Hit the jump for more, including the possibility of a film trilogy.

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.

Imagine Entertainment, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci Developing Adaptation of Anne Rice’s THE TALE OF THE BODY THIEF

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 2:39 pm

Ten years after 2002′s abysmal Queen of the Damned, tales from Anne Rice‘s Vampire Chronicles may be returning to the big screen.  THR reports that Ron Howard and Brian Grazer‘s Imagine Entertainment have optioned the fourth book in the saga of the vampire Lestat, The Tale of the Body Thief.  Star Trek screenwriter Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are co-producing and screenwriter Lee Patterson is currently at work on the script.

Hit the jump for more details on the project.

Paul Greengrass to Executive Produce Fox’s New Untitled CIA Drama Series

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: November 17th, 2011 at 11:46 am

After crafting a successful sci-fi series for TNT in the form of Falling Skies, writer Joe Weisberg now has a new CIA drama series set up through Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox Television with a talent familiar with espionage coming aboard as executive producer. Deadline has word that The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultiamtum director Paul Greengrass will make his first foray into U.S. television as executive producer of the currently untitled series along with Brian Grazer and Weisberg himself. As of now his deal only has him aboard in the producing capacity, but apparently there’s a chance he might also direct the pilot if his schedule allows.

Plot details are limited, but the series is said to be a high-stakes character-based drama centering on the young assistants of high-ranking officers in the U.S. Intelligence community which includes being inside the walls of the CIA, as well as the DIA, NSA, FBI and other various intelligence components at the White House. Sounds like Fox really needs to fill that void left by the end of 24, and this sounds like it has the potential to bring a real action thriller back to the network. Maybe we could get a little Jack Bauer cameo at some point? I doubt it, but you have to dream every now and then.

TOP 5: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, IMMORTALS, CARS 2, THE EXPENDABLES 2, Billy Crystal and Brian Grazer Take on 2012 Oscars

by Jason Barr    Posted: November 12th, 2011 at 12:49 pm

I’m going to bypass my usual opening paragraph musings this week and simply wish everyone a Happy Veterans Day weekend. Given that I don’t have any immediate family or friends who serve, I won’t claim to know the first thing about the sacrifices that each serviceman/woman and their respective families and friends are continually asked to make. I reap all of the benefits of their service without any of the concessions. As a result, I owe a debt of gratitude to each and every one of them.

In this week’s “Top 5″ installment you can find the first trailer for Snow White and the Huntsman, a cornucopia of interviews for Immortals and Cars 2, new set images from the set of The Expendables 2 featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and a look at the road that led Billy Crystal and Brian Grazer to the top of the 2012 Oscars. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Billy Crystal to Host the 2012 Oscars

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 10th, 2011 at 2:19 pm

Earlier this week, the 2012 Oscars lost its producer and its host, and within the last 24 hours it has replaced both.  We previously reported that Brian Grazer would take over producing duties from Brett Ratner, and now Billy Crystal has tweeted (and Variety has confirmed) that he will be hosting.  Here’s what he said on Twitter (via @AwardsDaily):

“Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show.”

Crystal is the safe choice the Academy needs after this recent debacle.  He’s hosted the show eight times before, and at last year’s disastrous ceremony he was one of the brief enjoyable moments.  The Academy obviously doesn’t want any more headaches when it comes to their self-congratulatory bash, and Grazer and Crystal will get the job done with no behind-the-scenes drama. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is now included after the jump.]

Producer Brian Grazer Frontrunner to Replace Brett Ratner as Oscars Producer [Updated]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 9th, 2011 at 12:25 pm

With producer Brett Ratner and now host Eddie Murphy exiting the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, Academy president Tom Sherak is rushing to get a new producer in place.  According to THR, Sherak’s top choice is producer Brian Grazer, a Hollywood veteran who has the hair of an anime character and an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. (He was also Ratner’s date to the Emmys.)  The story is developing, but I can see Grazer as a reasonable (and more importantly, safe) choice to co-produce with the previously announced Don Mischer.  I also wouldn’t be surprised if Sherak is also considering previous Oscar producers Adam Shankman or Bill Condon.  Gil Cates would’ve been the obvious choice since he produced the show 14 times between 1990 and 2008, but he passed away less than two weeks ago.

Expect a producer to be named within the next 48 – 72 hours, and the announcement of a new host within the next week or so.  The 84th Academy Awards will take place on February 26, 2012.  Seriously, Neil Patrick Harris should host.  He killed at the Tonys and the Emmys.  I’ve heard The Muppets as a suggestion and I think that would be great, although it would be an interesting challenge to build the entire set around hiding the muppeteers or at least always shooting around them.

[Update: The Academy officially announced Grazer will produce the show.  Hit the jump for the press release.]

The TV Series Parts of THE DARK TOWER Head to HBO

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 25th, 2011 at 10:34 am

Just a couple days ago we got word from producer Brian Grazer that $45-50 million had been cut from the budget for the adaptation of Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower to make it more appealing to studios. While Grazer and director Ron Howard are still looking for a place to set up the film portion of the adaptation, we can’t forget that the ambitious project also calls for a couple seasons of television between three planned films. Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like that side of the deal has been hard to set up as Grazer recently spoke with MTV and said, “We’re going to do [The Dark Tower] with HBO. We’ll do the TV with HBO, and we’ll do the movie with… to be determined. We’ll do it right.” Seems like the best home for material like this, that way there aren’t any restrictions as to the violence, language, etc. No details as were offered as to just how long each season will be or anything like that, but it sounds like we might get some solid information sooner than later so stay tuned.

If you’re unfamiliar with The Dark Tower, hit the jump for a synopsis.

Producer Brian Grazer Says $45-50 Million Budget Cut Means THE DARK TOWER Will “Get Made”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 23rd, 2011 at 8:46 pm

This past summer, Universal passed on Ron Howard‘s ambitious adaptation of Stephen King‘s The Dark Tower.  Howard, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, and producer Brian Grazer planned to turn the series of novels into a trilogy tied together with a TV series.  Javier Bardem was attached to star in the movies and the second season of the television series (the first season would have been flashbacks and a younger actor would play Bardem’s character, Roland Deschain).  The studio and the creative team wrangled with the budget all summer.  In June, Grazer and Howard were optimistic that they had lowered the budget to a point where the movie and TV series could go into production.  However, Universal continued to balk at the price-tag.

Grazer now says they’ve shaved off $45-50 million, gotten a better ending as a result, and is confident that the movie will get made.  Hit the jump for more.

Ron Howard and Dustin Lance Black Team Up To Adapt UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN for Warner Bros.

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 19th, 2011 at 7:36 pm

The great thing about being Ron Howard (aside from that sweet beard pictured above) is that when one of your projects gets shot down, you don’t have to worry about whether or not you’ll land on your feet. Case in point: only one day removed from Universal passing on his ambitious adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the Oscar-winning director has already landed another gig. Per Deadline, Howard will join forces with Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) on Warner Bros. adaptation of the Jon Krakauer novel Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Briefly, Heaven tells the story of a pair of brothers who murder their younger brother’s wife and infant daughter only to claim they were acting on orders from God.

Howard will also co-produce the pic alongside his Imagine cohort Brian Grazer. Jason Bateman, Stephanie Davis, and Shannon Costello will co-produce as well. In addition to Heaven, you may remember that Howard also has Rush starring Chris Hemsworth and a Spy vs. Spy adaptation waiting in the wings. As for Black, he penned the script for director Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, and Josh Lucas. Warner Bros. releases that pic on October 21st. For more on Heaven, hit the jump for a synopsis of Krakauer’s novel.

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.

Blake Masters to Rewrite COLOSSUS Remake for Universal

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 18th, 2011 at 2:44 pm

Blake Masters (Law & Order: LA) has signed on to rewrite a remake of the 1970 sci-fi film Colossus: The Forbin Project for Universal. There’s no word on the timeline of Masters’ re-telling (simply entitled Colossus), but director Joseph Sargent’s original pic was set during the Cold War and centered on a pair of supercomputers (one belonging to the United States and the other belonging to Russia) that swap top secret national defense secrets with one another. As the story goes, the rival countries are forced to work together so as to stop the computers from taking control of their respective war arms. Per Variety, Brian Grazer will produce the film via Imagine Entertainment with Erica Huggins and David J. Collins on board as co-producers.

As for Masters, the scribe has previously worked on television series’ such as Rubicon and Brotherhood. He also penned a script for Universal’s 2 Guns starring Vince Vaughn. Before Masters’ arrival, Jason Rothenberg had penned an earlier draft of Colossus. Colossus was originally adapted from the 1966 D.F. Jones novel of the same name. Jones went on to write a pair of Colossus books entitled The Fall of Colossus (1974) and Colossus and the Crab (1977).

New Trailer for Gus Van Sant’s RESTLESS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 7th, 2011 at 3:40 pm

A new trailer for director Gus Van Sant’s (Milk) new film Restless has been released. The film tells the story of a terminally ill girl (Mia Wasikowska) who, during her last remaining months, befriends a boy (Henry Hopper) whose best friend is a ghost. Van Sant has a knack for small dramas, and judging by the trailer Restless seems to be no exception. Wasikowska and Hopper look great, and the story is quirky with a touch of heartbreak.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. In addition to Wasikowska and Hopper, the film stars Ryo Kase and Schuyler Fisk. Produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, Restless is poised to hit theaters on September 16^th.

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