Peyton Reed

[Fishbulb]

He hasn't directed much yet, but I think he's developing a pretty nice little resume. He started out directing for TV, he directed segments for "Mr. Show" and "Upright Citizens Brigade" (giving him automatic cool points right there). His first feature was "Bring It On". Now, this wasn't the most cerebral movie ever created, but he brought a sense of fun to it and handled it certainly better than a lot of "teen movie" directors would have. Honestly, would you think a movie about a bunch of cheerleaders meeting in competition would be any good at all? Yet under his direction it turned out very entertaining.

I just saw his latest movie "Down With Love", and it was similarly enjoyable. It's a romantic comedy done in the style of the Rock Hudson-Doris Day movies of the early 1960's ("Pillow Talk", etc.) The attention to detail is really amazing. They really nailed everything...the innuendo-laden, fast-paced dialogue, the cheesy music, even the fake "rear projection" effect of background scenery when there's a scene with 2 characters in a car. Visually the movie is a real delight to watch. Everything is very colorful and you come out of the movie feeling happy. The movie is probably doomed to fail because it comes out the same day as "The Matrix", and most young people these days have no knowledge of Rock Hudson or Doris Day and won't have any frame of reference to appreciate the movie.

Regardless, I definitely think Peyton is a director to watch. He, along with fellow "Mr. Show" director Troy Miller (who directed the Mr. Show spinoff 'Run Ronnie Run' as well as the upcoming 'Dumb and Dumberer'), seem to have a flair for zany comedy. Peyton's next movie is the big budget "Fantastic Four" film; it will be interesting to see how his style will mesh with that project. Maybe he'll be able to make a superhero movie that I actually can stand watching (sorry, but I didn't think X2 was all that great).

[Sleuth]

How will he make Mr. Fantastic not look so incredibly ridiculous?  How can anyone?  It can't be done

[bonanzataz]

this guy's great. i even listened to his commentary track for bring it on and it was very interesting.

[Ghostboy]

Tremosloth is right. AIN reported that George Clooney is in talks for Mr. Fantastic. It made me think how hard it would be to make George Clooney look cool stretching...and then I realized its going to be hard to make ANYONE look cool stretching.

[MacGuffin]

Andy Jones from E! Online has a big juicy rumour about the comic adaptation from the Fox lot, here's a peek: "One source tells me top execs want to turn Marvel's foursome into a comedy thriller in the vein of, say, McG's Charlie's Angels remake, rather than a more straightforward dramatic thriller like the studio's own X-Men. But another well-placed source says now that Fox has hired Mark Frost (Twin Peaks)...as the studio wants to go darker. Tongue-in-cheek, sure, but with an edge". Director Peyton Reed claims the rumours of the more 'comical' version he hadn't heard, but did drop this line which isn't exactly a denial - "I think Mark is a smart writer...I'm not gonna say the tone will be Twin Peaks, and it's not a rollicking comedy. There's 40 years of source material; The Fantastic Four incorporates a lot of different tones, so that's what's great about it and also what's tricky about it".

[meatwad]

Forget this guy and who cares if he did Mr. Show. We should focus on Bob Odenkirk. He was a creator of Mr Show and his new film "Melvin Goes to Dinner" is on the festival circut and looks very good.



//www.thestate22.com

[MacGuffin]

Fantastic Director Needed
Must be able to start filming by fall.

Ain't It Cool News has confirmed with Marvel Studios honcho Avi Arad that director Peyton Reed has left 20th Century Fox's live-action adaptation of Fantastic Four. No reason was given as to why Reed parted ways with the pic.

Arad advised AICN that Fantastic Four is still on track for a holiday 2004 release.

"They're putting finishing touches on the screenplay," reports AICN, "and apparently 20 some odd directors have expressed interest in giving it a shot." Arad wouldn't reveal who any of the Fantastic Twenty are.

Fans can expect "an announcement on a director for Fantastic Four sometime in August to early September." Fantastic Four is rumored to be filming this fall or in early winter in Canada.