Kurt Johnstad

Harrison Ford Attached to Play Wyatt Earp in BLACK HATS Adaptation

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 23rd, 2011 at 4:10 pm

With one cowboy turn in the bag via Cowboys & Aliens, Harrison Ford is now trading in his brown hat for something a little darker. The star is attached to play iconic outlaw Wyatt Earp in an adaptation of Max Allan Collins’ novel Black Hats: A Novel of Wyatt Earp and Al Capone. Penned under the pseudonym Patrick Culhane, the book is a fictional account in which Earp teams up with his former deputy Bat Masterson to help the son of Doc Holliday who has become tangled up with Al Capone and his gang (whew, that’s a lot of historical names for one sentence).

For more on the project, including a synopsis of Allan’s book, hit the jump.

Is the MAN OF STEEL Script Under Construction by 300 Co-Writer Kurt Johnstad?

by Bill Graham    Posted: July 18th, 2011 at 11:51 am

Time is not on Superman’s side. At leaset, that is the case with Warner Bros.’ upcoming Man of Steel, which is up against the gun of rights ownership to get cracking on bringing the classic character to the silver screen by next year. As you probably already know, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) is teaming-up with producer Christopher Nolan to helm the superhero flick based on a script by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins). However, perhaps as a result of said time constraints, rewrites are apparently needed on Goyer’s script. If you’re Warner Bros., with a solid cast that includes Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal-El, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Chris Meloni, Michael Shannon, and Harry Lennix already in place, you want to make as many tweaks as necessary. Hit the jump for more details on the rewrite including which scribe gave the script a once over as well.

Relativity to Pick Up Navy SEAL Film ACT OF VALOR, Starring Cast of Active Duty SEALs [Updated with Set Photos]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 12th, 2011 at 4:33 pm

Not wanting to be left out of the sudden interest in Navy SEALs following the takedown and assassination of Osama Bin Laden by the elite special operations force, Relativity Media is close to acquiring the rights to a SEAL-centric flick called Act of Valor. Deadline reports that Relativity will pay a $13 million guarantee, with a $30 million P&A commitment to the flick, arguably the largest amount paid for a film featuring a cast made up entirely of unknowns. Scripted by Kurt Johnstad (300), the film was backed by the military and actually stars active duty Navy SEALs in the lead roles.

No word on the plot [Update: Relativity has sent out a press release providing a brief synopsis; check it out after the jump], or even if it involves the Bin Laden raid, but the film is described as “very patriotic” and “heavy on action.” Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh, from the media company The Bandito Brothers, directed Act of Valor, which has already completed production. Act of Valor is one of a few Navy SEAL-centric flicks currently in development, chief among them is director Kathryn Bigelow’s Kill Bin Laden. That film is expected to shoot this summer, with Columbia Pictures eying a late 2012 release. Act of Valor is slated for release either Veterans Day weekend this November or Presidents Day in February. [Update: We've updated this story with more information and set photos which you can check out after the jump.]

Zack Snyder Closed Deal to Script 300 Sequel XERXES

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: July 21st, 2010 at 11:58 am

When we checked in with 300 director Zack Snyder in June,  he indicated that he would commit to a sequel if Frank Miller could put together “something cool” with the graphic novel Xerxes.  He must have liked what he saw, because Snyder confirmed that he and collaborator Kurt Johnstad were plotting the cinematic version:

“We closed the writing deal on Xerxes.  We started writing about a week ago.  So we’re doing it.  It’s happening.”

Hit the jump for more comments from Snyder on the project.

Christian Bale to Star in THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH; Based off an Idea from Zack Snyder

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 6th, 2010 at 9:47 am

Christian Bale is reportedly set to star in the drama The Last Photograph.  Pajiba reports that the film is based off an idea from writer/director Zack Snyder.   The script is from Synder’s 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad with Niels Arden Oplev (the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) in talks to direct.  The only thing known about the “original idea” is that the drama “revolves around a photograph that becomes the catalyst for a journey two men undertake through war-torn Afghanistan.”

Bale will next be seen this December in David O. Russell’s The Fighter.  He is also currently set to star in Terrence Malick’s next movie and, of course, Batman 3.  Snyder’s next film, Sucker Punch is set to hit theaters in March 2011, but we’ll be getting our first look at it in a few weeks at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

300: The Complete Experience Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 21st, 2009 at 7:01 pm

We’re now in a different place with Zack Snyder. He’s directed three films, all on Blu-ray, and I have watched and reviewed all three for Collider. The most honest statement I can make is that Snyder is an amazing visual talent, who knows what the fuck he’s doing behind a camera. But after three films, I don’t know what’s going on inside his head. Sure, his first film was smartly hella commercial, and 300 was a blockbuster, but is also inherently a shallow but engaging visual spectacle. Watchmen is a great dense tome of a film, but much of its greatness belongs to the graphic novel. He has done little that can guess what he really has going on upstairs. There is great technique, but the voice is undefined. My review after the jump:

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