Film at Eleven

This is the maddest bit of news I’ve seen in a long time.

Monsters and Critics reports that a planned movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens - which was to star Johnny Depp and Robin Williams and be directed by Terry Gilliam - is on hold because American investors can’t raise $15 million.

Let me repeat this.

Good Omens is a fantastic and wildly popular fantasy novel, written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - two of the most consistently entertaining, original and popular authors working today.

The proposed film was to be directed by Terry Gilliam - a consistently original director who is more than capable of bringing this book - brilliantly - to the big screen.

And it was to star Johnny Depp and Robin Williams. Either of these actors can guarantee a box office hit on their own.

And yet this isn’t worth an eighth of the budget for The Island?

No wonder Gilliam’s amazed.

I mentioned recently that Luc Besson has been secretly shooting a romantic comedy in Paris.

Now European-Films.net have managed to get hold of a little more information:

The rumour, fuelled by exhibitors at the recent Cannes festival, became more solid this summer with talk of a 7 week shoot in Paris according to the French cinema monthly Premiére. Described as a romantic comedy by its principal actor, the film’s cast includes Gilbert Melki (Crustacés et coquillages) and Sara Forestier (L’esquive). The only certainty for the production protected by a total media black-out is that the film will be in black and white and see the return of Luc Besson behind the camera after a six year absence (Jeanne d’Arc from 1999 was his last film).

Absorbed by the development of his production, distribution and international sales company EuropaCorp, the director also has the animated film’Arthur et les Minimoys in production, an adaptation of the book written by himself and set for theatrical release in December 2006. As for ‘Angel A’, it will be distributed in France on the 21st December of this year, with a staggering total of 900 prints. The filmmaker has chosen Jamel Debbouze, a very popular comedian who decided to speed up his film career having exploded on to the scene with Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain in 2001 and Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cleopatra in 2002. Appearing last year in She Hate Me by Spike Lee, Jamel Debbouze will also appear in the war film Indigènes by Rachid Bouchareb which also stars Roschdy Zem, Samy Nacéri and Sami Bouajila and will be released in 2006.

European-Films.net reports that Antonio Banderas will be returning to his native Spain in November to start filming his second directorial effort, El camino de los ingleses (The Way of the English), in the city of Málaga which is where Banderas happened to be born.

The € 5 million project will be an adaptation of an Antonio Soler novel and centre on the lives of a group of adolescents. Banderas has announced that he would like to cast unknowns in the main roles, but that his cast will also include smaller roles for Spanish cinema royalty, including Victoria Abril and Juan Diego. Both have starred together with Banderas in several projects and have recently worked together on the Carlos Saura revenge drama ‘El séptimo día’ (The seventh day).

Filming is scheduled to start on 14th November for a 2006 release date.

FilmStew reports that Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl and Selma Blair are all starring in what may be the most memorably titled film of 2006 - Amy Talkington’s Night of the White Pants.

The project is an indie comedy starring Tom Wilkinson, Nick Stahl and Selma Blair, with Frances Fisher, Janine Turner and Geri Jewell in supporting roles. The film follows a bigshot in Dallas whose decline bottoms out on a penniless night with his daughter’s boyfriend…a punk rocker.

The picture was shot in Texas on a modest budget. Amy Talkington directed.

Following the legal action over whether The Island has plagiarised The Clonus Horror (aka Parts), Razor reel notes that Dutch FilmWorks are planning to release the 1979 film later this year, so you can see for yourself.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to wait, the film is already available in the UK via Amazon.

I mentioned William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove - a homage to vintage Universal-style horror films and old-fashioned Atomic Age creature features- back in April. And now, the film - which is currently in post production - has a DVD release date of October 4th.

“Modern-day moviemakers simply aren’t creating pictures like the great Universal, AIP and Hammer films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s,” notes director William Winckler, who also wrote the screenplay and independently financed the picture. “William Winckler’s Frankenstein Vs. The Creature From Blood Cove brings back honest-to-goodness horror. I’m confident fans of classic monster movies and ‘creature features’ are going to love it!”

The adventure — shot entirely in black and white — takes place in a remote laboratory near the California coast, where a trio of scientists have resurrected Frankenstein’s monster in a misguided attempt to use his colossal strength for good. However, as part of the same diabolical experiment, a half-human amphibian abomination has also been unleashed. Both creatures are determined to destroy one another, wreaking havoc throughout the isolated coastal community.

Enjoy.

The BBC reports that Ricky Gervais has landed the role of a studio head in a Hollywood film about the movie awards season, called For Your Consideration.

The comic’s character commissions a film which is known to be dreadful, about the Deep South during the 1940s.

But an internet rumour begins that it is in the running for awards, and the cast are lead to believe that glory days are just around the corner.

The action in the new film is expected to be widely improvised.

The film was written and will be directed by Christopher Guest, of Spinal Tap fame.

Reuteurs reports that Milos Forman is to direct a film about Spanish grand master Francisco de Goya starring Javier Bardem and Natalie Portman, focussing on one of Spain’s most bloody chapters, the Inquisition.

“Goya’s Ghosts” tells the story of the last years of the Spanish Inquisition, when the Church tortured and executed suspected Jews, as told by the painter, played by Stellan Skarsgard.

Portman plays Goya’s muse Ines, falsely accused of heresy, while Bardem plays a sinister monk, Brother Lorenzo, the film production company said on Wednesday.

The script is a collaboration between Forman and Jean Claude Carriere, who worked frequently with Luis Bunuel, most notably on The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Belle de Jour.

The Guardian reports that having bwed to the inevitable once, Doune Castle - a key location for Monty Python And The Holy Grail - is planning to host a secon Monty Python Day on September 4th.

Numbers have had to be limited to 500, however, after problems last year shepherding so many fans around such a confined space.

“Last year was mad,” said Nick Finnegan, Historic Scotland events manager. “It was the 30th anniversary of the film being shot there and we had 1,400 people turning up, and it was fantastic and nuts at the same time. We didn’t get any negative feedback on the day, but if you are staging this as a regular event there is an expectation that you are going to raise the bar.”

So this year’s participants will be treated to a group of professional actors recreating famous scenes, plus a giant-screen presentation of the film, and a singalong in the castle courtyard.

Coconuts will be provided.

Twitch reports that Luc Besson has been sneaking out with his camera.

Apparently, he’s secretly shot a romantic comedy - in black and white - titled Angel A, in Paris.

The film stars Jamel Debbouze and Gilbert Melki and, if the rumours are to be believed, it will be released in December.