The Hollywood Roundup: September 8
Updates on Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe, Sherlock Holmes & more
BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. Bangkok Dangerous - $7.8 million ($7.8 million)
2. Tropic Thunder - $7.5 million ($96.8 million)
3. The House Bunny - $5.9 million ($36.9 million)
4. The Dark Knight - $5.7 million ($512.1 million)
5. Traitor - $4.6 million ($17.6 million)
6. Babylon A.D. - $4 million ($17.1 million)
7. Death Race - $3.5 million ($29.7 million)
8. Disaster Movie - $3.3 million ($10.8 million)
9. Mamma Mia - $2.7 million ($136.2 million)
10. Pineapple Express - $2.4 million ($84.1 million)
Bangkok Dangerous debuted #1 at the box office this weekend, earning $7.8 million for the worst overall box office weekend in the last 5 years. With a budget of $45 million, it's safe to say that Nic Cage has worked his flop magic once again.
Tropic Thunder fell one spot to #2 in its fourth weekend, earning $7.5 million to bump its total gross to $96.8 million. The film had a budget of $92 million.
Nobody would've thought that a Darren Aronofsky film centered on Mickey Rourke as a wrestler could possibly work, but the ring drama, which co-stars Marisa Tomei, took home the Golden Lion award, the highest prize at the Venice Film Festival.
"I think the reason people are reacting to this film is that there is a great talent revealing his soul," Aronofsky said about the main character, a pro wrestler coming to terms with his advanced age while also staging a comeback. Was Hulk Hogan asking for too much to play himself? Keep an eye out for this one.
Co-executive producers of "The Office" and 2009-slated Year One screenwriters Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky are set to write the new Ghostbusters movie. The two Emmy-nominated hitmakers have hinted that the script aims to bring back the original cast of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, which we're not quite sure how we feel about. Either way, the idea of a new Ghostbusters sounds awesome. Let's hope they get it right.
Spike Lee, in Toronto to debut is new film Miracle at St. Anna, confirmed that Inside Man 2 is moving forward at Universal. Terry George (of Hotel Rwanda and Reservation Road) is in negotiations to write the screenplay, and Spike is planning to return as director as well. The sequel will pick up with the same characters and dynamic, but even more intense. "I want the script to be even better than Russell's, and Russell wrote a really good script [for Inside Man]," Lee said. The first Inside Man pitted Clive Owen as a bank robber against Denzel Washington as a hostage negotiator. Inside Man 2 will reportedly continue the relationship between these two but "in a new high-tension situation." Both Denzel and Clive have expressed interest in returning for the sequel.
JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof have been talking about doing an adaptation of Stephen King’s immensely epic “Dark Tower” series for a while now, but news of the project has been scarce. Yesterday Lindelof broke the silence with a few things to say to AMC about the current state of Roland’s affairs.
“The Dark Tower is to me every bit as daunting an adaptation as the Lord of the Rings trilogy must have been for Peter Jackson, except we've got seven books we're looking at.” Time, however, is something Lindelof says he doesn’t have. “The idea of doing that at the same time Carlton and I are bringing Lost to a close is simply not viable. There are always Dark Tower conversations, but the figuring out of what this will look like as a movie has not begun. If The Dark Tower were in the right hands, I would love to see seven movies executed just right. But you have to get people to see the first one to get them to come and see the second one.”
Let's hope it all comes together in the future, because this is one series that must be done right, if done at all. It's just too bad 80's era Clint Eastwood isn't around to play Roland the Gunslinger. No better human being for the part has ever existed.
The Dark Knight has surpassed The Polar Express as the highest-grossing first-run release ever shown on IMAX screens. The film has made $55 million of its $925 million worldwide on IMAX screens, compared to the $45 million brought in by Polar Express in the same format.
Russell Crowe is being considered for the villain role in Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Holmes film, starring Robert Downey, Jr. Described in the books as "The Napoleon of Crime," Crowe's character will be the main bad guy in the film. He hasn't signed on yet, so keep your ear to the rail for more news on what's bound to be an exciting film.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is taking on the role of Cobra Commander in G.I.. Joe, a feat which producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is already stupidly comparing to Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. In an interview with MTV News, Di Bonaventura said “I thought what was great in The Dark Knight was that Heath kept telling you different stories [about his past] so you never knew what it was, and they were all spooky and crazy. [In our film] you get to see it, and you get to understand what’s happened to this guy.”
True to Dark Knight form, the darker version of Cobra Commander (not the campy cartoon persona they gave him) will be featured in the movie. “As we see it, he’s a very twisted character,” Di Bonaventura said, saying even the character's voice would be creepier this time around. "I actually found the voice a little weak in the show…I’m sure I’ll get killed for saying that. I don’t know, it always seemed kind of silly. Hopefully we’re going to be a little more menacing.” (Shudder)
