James Mangold

CBS Orders Three Drama Pilots; HOMELAND’s Michael Cuesta to Direct Network’s Sherlock Holmes Pilot

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: January 26th, 2012 at 7:29 pm

CBS has put in orders for three wildly different dramas. Check out the details below:

• From Ilene Chaiken (The L Word) comes Quean, which follows a Lisbeth Salander-style hacker chick who assists an Oakland police detective in crime solving. Chaiken and Joel Silver will executive produce.
• Applebaum is based on Mommy-Track Mysteries, a book series by author Ayelet Waldman. The story follows an ex-public defender turned stay-at-home mom who becomes a private investigator to stave off boredom. Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) will direct the pilot and is among the executive producers.
• An untitled period piece from screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi (American Gangster) and Without a Trace executive producer Greg Walker will follow a 1960s rodeo cowboy turned Las Vegas sheriff. James Mangold (Walk the Line) will direct the pilot for the series based on the true story of Ralph Lamb.

Also from the network, Homeland’s executive producer and pilot-director Michael Cuesta recently signed a seven-figure deal that was good from the time the ink dried until June 1st of next year. His next test will be directing the pilot titled Elementary for the network’s contemporary Sherlock Holmes series. Hit the jump for more.

Director James Mangold Will Follow THE WOLVERINE with CITY STATE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 17th, 2011 at 9:52 am

Director James Mangold (Knight and Day) is prepping to shoot the second (and hopefully far better) Wolverine spin-off The Wolverine, and he’s already got his next project lined-up.  According to Deadline, Mangold is set to remake the Icelandic crime thriller City State.  The movie follows four people wrapped up in the Icelandic underworld and whose lives intersect with a foreign mafia tries to take control of the drug market.  The story features “a crooked police captain in love with a prostitute, an aging crime boss with a heart condition looking to get out of the game alive, a mechanic determined to avenge the death of his unborn child, and a female cop who is attacked by thugs and takes matters into her own hands.” Each one of these could probably suffice as its own movie, and I’d be interested to see how the original version juggles the plotlines.

City State hasn’t been released in the U.S. but you can check out the trailer after the jump.

Hugh Jackman Says They May Shoot Both PG-13 and R-Rated Versions of THE WOLVERINE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 10th, 2011 at 3:27 pm

Hugh Jackman is currently doing press rounds for Shawn Levy’s Real Steel, which means he’s constantly being asked about The Wolverine. After a rocky start, James Mangold is set to direct the sequel to 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which will take place mostly in Japan. Jackman recently talked to Steve a bit about how much of Darren Aronofsky’s original version of the script is intact in this new iteration, and now the actor has revealed that there’s a possibility that we might see an R-rated version of the film:

“James Mangold and I talked about [an R-rated version] and we’re like ‘Look, let’s not put it off the table.’ There’s even talk about us doing two versions, as in finding a way to do both while you shoot it, which could be really cool. But you need to have a really good reason to exclude those fans.”

We got a glimpse of a NSFW Wolverine with Jackman’s glorious cameo in X-Men: First Class, so I think everyone would agree that an R-rated Wolverine would be a very good thing. Hit the jump to see what else Jackman had to say about the possibility of going R.

Mark Bomback to Re-Write THE WOLVERINE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 1st, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Screenwriter Mark Bomback (Jack the Giant Killer, the upcoming remake of Total Recall) is set to re-write Christopher McQuarrie’s script for James Mangold’s The Wolverine.  According to Variety, the story still revolves around Wolvie heading to Japan where he falls in love and fights the country’s criminal underworld with nothing but a healing factor, super strength, an adamantium skeleton, and razor-sharp retractable claws (Am I the only one who thinks Wolverine is overpowered?).  The entire cast will be comprised of Japanese and Japanese-American actors except for the new character “Viper” who’s the white secretary for Japan’s Minister of Justice.  I guess the Japanese government is cool hiring people who sound like they should be in a biker gang.  As we previously reported, filming will take place in Vancouver but Variety reports the film will also shoot in Tokyo.  Filming will begin next year after Hugh Jackman wraps on Les Miserables.

Bomback’s previous credits include Live Free or Die Hard, Unstoppable, Godsend, Deception, and the remake of Race to Witch Mountain.  I try not to hang bad movies on the screenwriter since blockbuster films have so many uncredited scribes, but that filmography does not inspire confidence.

Hugh Jackman Says THE WOLVERINE Starts Filming This October

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 29th, 2011 at 2:55 pm

Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like The Wolverine is back on track. After Darren Aronofsky dropped out as director, and natural disasters ravaged Japan (the desired shooting location) it looked like Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel might be delayed for quite some time. After an extensive director search, James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) was hired to helm the project, and now speaking with Toronto radio station CHFI (via The Playlist), Jackman stated that filming will commence this October:

“We shoot in October, so it will probably come out a year after that. That’s usually around the timeline.”

So not only is the film shooting this year, it may even hit theaters in 2012. Jackman also told the radio station that director Tom Hooper’s (The King’s Speech) big-budget musical adaptation of Les Miserables won’t shoot until next year. Hit the jump for more.

Fox and Hugh Jackman Want James Mangold to Direct THE WOLVERINE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 15th, 2011 at 7:16 pm

Many readers of the site checked out of The Wolverine at the same time Darren Aronofsky did.  It’s difficult to stay rational in the bold awfulness of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, so I understand why so many forget that Wolverine is a damn cool character, Hugh Jackman owns the performance, and Aronofsky is not the only director who can deliver a good Wolverine movie.  And I think Fox proved earlier this month with X-Men: First Class that they’re back on track with the comic book property.  A shortlist popped up in May with eight possible Aronofsky replacements, Adam singled out James Mangold (Knight and Day) as a promising candidate, a recommendation I co-sign.  More importantly, though, Mangold is the first choice of Jackman and Fox to direct The Wolverine according to Deadline.  Deadline suggests “negotiations are about to get underway,” but Variety reports the hire more officially, so expect Mangold to stick.  I like this.  I understand if you don’t, but if so, I ask that you express your discontent thoughtfully.

The script for The Wolverine comes from Christopher McQuarrie (Valkyrie), and sets the bulk of the story in Japan.  Production is tentatively scheduled for the fall.

Shortlist of Directors for THE WOLVERINE Includes Doug Liman, Justin Lin, Mark Romanek, James Mangold and More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 25th, 2011 at 3:28 pm

Well it looks like the list of contenders for the director of Fox’s The Wolverine has been narrowed down to eight. Following the sudden departure of Darren Aronofsky shortly before filming was to commence, Fox began searching for a replacement for the Hugh Jackman-starred follow-up to Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Now, Showblitz reports that the shortlist of contenders for the job is as follows: Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) Jose Padilha (upcoming Robocop remake), Antoine Fuqua (Shooter), Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go), Justin Lin (Fast Five), Gavin O’Connor (Warrior), James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma ) and commercials director Gary Shore.

With a script from Christopher McQuarrie, The Wolverine is largely set in Japan. Filming was poised to take place in that country, but it’s currently unknown if that’s still the plan given the natural disaster that recently ravaged the landmass. Hit the jump for more, including my thoughts on this list.

James Mangold to Direct THE GUNSLINGER

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 16th, 2010 at 6:41 pm

James Mangold (Knight and Day) is attached to direct The Gunslinger, a revenge thriller described as a contemporary Western.  According to Heat Vision, the spec script from John Hlavin (The Shield) centers on “an ex-Texas Ranger who sets out to punish the men who killed his brother.”  Andrew Lazar (Jonah Hex) will produce along with Cathy Konrad, Mangold’s wife and producing partner.  New Regency is hoping to start shooting in the spring.

I’m excited to see who they cast for this one — a manly lead role if there ever were one.  Mangold’s 3:10 to Yuma stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale seem like good candidates.  Shia LaBeouf would be great, obviously, but I say that about every movie.

J.J. Abrams, James Mangold, Ryan Murphy, Rob Marshall Considered for WICKED Musical Adaptation

by David Corbin    Posted: July 9th, 2010 at 8:37 pm

The creative minds of the wildly successful Broadway show Wicked — producer Marc Platt, playwright Winnie Holzman, and songwriter Stephen Schwartz — have been meeting with some of Hollywood’s premier musical directors… and J.J. Abrams.  The play, itself an adaptation of the book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s classic Wizard of Oz and casts the emerald-skinned enchantress in a far more heroic light than the original story.

While Abrams’ composition of the 17-second opening theme to LOST may not qualify him as a musical director, the other candidates (James Mangold, Ryan Murphy, and Rob Marshall) have much stronger resumes.  Mangold provided deft directing to Walk the Line, Murphy created Glee (but also Nip/Tuck), and Marshall was behind the camera for Chicago, the film often cited (along with Moulin Rouge!) for bringing musicals back into Hollywood’s good graces.  For more, hit the jump.

KNIGHT AND DAY Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 22nd, 2010 at 11:05 pm

It’s amazing what you can do with charisma.  It can elevate a mediocre movie to greatness and elevate a bad movie to mediocrity.  Knight and Day is a case of the latter.  The film’s overly-long, paper-thin plot and misogynistic undertones are combated by Tom Cruise’s sheer force of personality, his chemistry with co-star Cameron Diaz, and James Mangold’s skill for shooting exciting set pieces.  These elements combine to make Knight and Day a better movie than it should be, but unfortunately aren’t enough to make it as good as it could be.

KNIGHT AND DAY – 5 Movie Clips, Behind the Scenes Footage, and an On Set Interview with Tom Cruise

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 20th, 2010 at 3:28 pm

With Knight and Day getting ready to come out this week, 20th Century Fox has provided us with 5 clips, about 5 minutes of B-Roll (Behind the Scenes Footage), and an on set interview with Tom Cruise.  While I usually don’t post studio provided interviews, with how little press Cruise has done with the online community, I figured some of you might like to hear him talk about making the film and why he got involved.

Even though some of you have lost interest in Cruise as an action star, I’m still a fan of his work and hope this is the start of a new chapter in his career.  On a separate note, I’ve heard the movie is a lot of fun.  Judge for yourself after the jump:

Exclusive: Producer Andrew Lazar Video Interview JONAH HEX; Plus Updates on AKIRA, ONE FINGER SALUTE, GET SMART 2, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 17th, 2010 at 4:31 pm

With Jonah Hex getting released tomorrow, I was able to sit down with producer Andrew Lazar (Get Smart, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) for an extended interview last weekend.  During our wide ranging conversation we talked about the challenges of getting Jonah Hex made, how they got the great cast together, the mixing of different genres in Hex, what will be on the DVD/Blu-ray (over 10 minutes of deleted scenes), and a lot more.

But after talking about Jonah Hex for awhile, we started talking about his other projects like I Love You Phillip Morris, Akira, Get Smart 2, Untitled Joe Namath Project, Pre-Astronauts (now called One Finger Salute), what are general meetings, and a lot more.  Some of the interesting things I learned were:

• I Love You Phillip Morris should have a happy ending as the film will hopefully be released this fall.
• Akira is still moving forward. They just hired a new writer and they’re conceptualizing right now.  He also says WB management loves the property and the studio is very enthusiastic about the project.  Confirms the first movie would be volumes 1-3 and a second movie would be 4-6
• Pre-Astronauts is now called One Finger Salute.  Calls it The Right Stuff before The Right Stuff. Says it’s about a group of Air Force scientists and pilots that believe man can go to space and survive. Also says they did a table read last year with Tom Cruise, Ryan Reynolds, Bradley Cooper, and Elizabeth Banks!  Peter Segal is scheduled to direct.
• Regarding Get Smart 2, he said Steve Carell wrote the script for the sequel!
• And regarding his Untitled Joe Namath Project talk, he says he’s meeting with James Mangold once he is done with his Knight and Day stuff.  Not sure if it’s to write and/or direct.

As you can see, we covered a lot of ground.  It’s really a fantastic interview and if you’re curious about any of the projects I mentioned or just curious about how films get made, I think you’ll love the interview.  Hit the jump to check it out:

New Trailer for KNIGHT AND DAY Starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 30th, 2010 at 9:56 pm

We’ve had quite a few posts with the words “knight”, “day”, and “trailer” in the headline (“one, two, three, four, tell me that you love me more”), but I think such gluttony is justified given the upward trend for each new clip.  Knight stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz as “a fugitive couple (on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem.”  James Mangold (Walk the Line) directs; the cast also includes Peter Sarsgaard (An Education), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Maggie Grace (Taken), and Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

It’s hard to parse out what footage is brand new to our eyes, but altogether the new trailer is doing its job.  Over the past several months, Knight and Day has slowly transformed from “potentially silly” to “solid choice” when it comes out on July 2, 2010.

International Trailer for KNIGHT & DAY Shows Off More Footage, Action, and Exotic Locales

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 27th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

The domestic trailer for the upcoming action-comedy Knight & Day has been out for awhile, but a new international trailer gives a better sense of  the set pieces and exotic settings featured in the film with an extended 3:00 runtime.  Knight stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz as “a fugitive couple (on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem.”  James Mangold (Walk the Line) directs; the cast also includes Peter Sarsgaard (An Education), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Maggie Grace (Taken), and Marc Blucas (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

I think Knight has a solid shot at being a jolt of fun in June, and this trailer is worth checking out even if the footage released so far hasn’t sold you.  (My favorite part: Motorcycle.  Helmet.  Tom.)  Please feel free to do so after the jump.

New Trailers for KNIGHT AND DAY, GROWN UPS, and ONDINE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 16th, 2010 at 9:31 am

We’ve got a nice batch of trailers for you this fine Friday morning.  First up, there’s the great trailer for the action-comedy Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  I’ve come to accept that Tom Cruise: The Celebrity will always be a figure of ridicule, but I still believe that Tom Cruise: The Actor is a lot of fun.

Then there’s the awful trailer for Grown Ups starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade.  Let me sum it up right now: Fatty fall down, woman breast-feeds 4-year-old, men pee in swimming pool.  Oh the hilarity.

Finally, there’s the trailer for Ondine starring Colin Farrell.  It’s worth checking out because it looks like an old myth but told with originality.  Hit the jump to see all three trailers along with a synopsis for each movie.

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