Chuck Russell

Dwayne Johnson up for the Role of Sinbad in ARABIAN NIGHTS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: September 29th, 2010 at 11:05 pm

When it was first announced that Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King) will direct a 3D period epic with Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) at the center, it all sounded a bit silly.  But then Anthony Hopkins signed on and… well, it still sounded silly, but mostly because his character is described as “an evil sorcerer who killed Sinbad’s love, a mermaid, and is looking to amass more magic for himself.”  Production Weekly reports that Dwayne Johnson has been “mentioned” for the role of Sinbad in the film.  The news doesn’t pull Arabian Nights too far away from “silly,” but it gives the film a weighty push toward “fun.”

Should he sign on, Nights would reunite the former wrestler with the director who gave him his big break on The Scorpion King: I hope the film amounts more than Johnson returning a favor, but I’m skeptical at this point.  Johnson will next be seen in Faster starting November 24th (check out Steve’s set report here), followed by the Fast and Furious sequel Fast Five on June 10, 2011.

Anthony Hopkins to Play Mermaid-Killing Sorcerer in ARABIAN NIGHTS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 9th, 2010 at 9:58 pm

It looks like Anthony Hopkins is going to keep running with crazy roles.  After mauling all the scenery in The Wolfman, he’s playing Odin in Marvel’s Thor, will star as a rebel exorcist in The Rite, and now Heat Vision reports that the actor is in final negotiations to play the villain in Chuck Russell’s action-adventure Arabian Nights.  The film stars Liam Hemsworth as young commander, “who, after his king is murdered in a coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Genie from the magic lamp to rescue the queen, Scheherazade.”

Then Heat Vision sells me on this movie completely with this sentence: “Hopkins will play Pharotu, an evil sorcerer who killed Sinbad’s love, a mermaid, and is looking to amass more magic for himself.”  That should be the tagline.

Liam Hemsworth Set for Breakout Role in Chuck Russell’s ARABIAN NIGHTS

by Bill Graham    Posted: March 9th, 2010 at 10:49 am

Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) is set to star in the classic tale of Arabian Nights by Chuck Russell, who claims directing credits on The Mask and 2002′s The Scorpion King. That means this is fairly familiar territory for Russell, but will be the first real break for the 20-year-old sibling of Chris Hemsworth (Thor). Set to shoot at the end of the summer, Arabian Nights is written by Russell and Barry P. Ambrose, with the following plotline:

“The period epic centers on a young commander (Hemsworth) who, after his king is murdered in a coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Genie from the magic lamp to rescue the queen, Scheherazade.”

Unsurprisingly, the movie is slated to be in 3D and is being funded by Inferno Entertainment, who recently premiered The Kids Are All Right at Sundance. Stay tuned for most casting details as we get them. [Heat Vision Blog]

William Shatner’s TV Legacy is Complete! TJ HOOKER Feature Film Now in the Works

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: July 6th, 2009 at 10:09 am

After the success of the revamped “Star Trek” this May, it was only a matter of time before someone in Hollywood got the bright idea to reboot that other William Shatner TV gem – and no, I’m not talking about “Boston Legal” because that would actually be interesting.  Nope, I’m talking about the 1982 ABC cop series “TJ Hooker” which starred Shatner as one Sergeant Hooker.  According to Variety a new feature film adaptation is in the works courtesy of original series creator Rick Husky with Chuck Russell (“The Scorpion King”) in talks to direct.  More after the jump…

Husky will be co-producing the “TJ Hooker” film with David Foster and Ryan Heppe. These are also the guys who are hard at work bringing Johnny 5 back to life for that “Short Circuit” remake.  When asked why they wanted to progress with a “TJ Hooker” feature film after 20 years in completely earned obscurity, Heppe said “the series was the poster child for cop TV shows in the 1980s… we think there’s a fun movie to be made from it.”

Director Frank Darabont Exclusive Video Interview – Explains Why FARRENHEIT 451 Hasn’t Been Made Yet

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 28th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

As writer/director of “The Shawshank Redemption”, Frank Darabont made one of my favorite films. If the movie ever comes on cable, I’m hooked. Doesn’t matter if I had plans, if I see any part of Andy Dufresne’s story on a screen, I’m in. So when I got the opportunity to talk with the great director backstage at this year’s Saturn Awards, I was extremely excited. Because even though I’ve spoken to many people in Hollywood, getting to talk with Frank Darabont was something I’d always wanted to do.

Anyway, after the jump is my extended conversation. We talked about “The Shawshank Redemption”, why he was at the Saturn Awards, why “Fahrenheit 451″ hasn’t been made yet, and he tells me what else he’s working on. It’s a great interview so take a look:

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