Just was wondering what opinions, if any, people have of Tony Scott and his films?
It seems as though he has gone a bit too stylized with his films as of late.
Any opinions?
The only film I've seen of his is True Romance. I can't knock it; the direction wasn't stunning either.
I find his films (the ones I've seen anyway) slightly predictable. Although I did really like True Romance and The Last Boy Scout mainly because of the writing.
Having an appreciation for Tony Scott films is like having an appreciation for eating cake icing: it's definitely not good for you and will probably make you nauseous but you could tear through an entire container of the shit pretty easily if given the chance.
I haven't seen Man on Fire yet but it's hard to imagine that he could get much more stylized than he always was. He created the signature style of Jerry Bruckheimer productions, Michael Bay rips him off every chance he gets, and he is making more satisfying films than his brother Ridley at this point.
I wouldn't put Scott anywhere near a list of the best directors working today but I have a soft spot for a lot of his movies like I do for John Carpenter's. I don't remember if it was on this site or what but I once heard/read someone refer to Tony Scott as the best hack director working today. That might be a little harsh but I understand.
I liked Spy Game, I did
Quote from: SleuthI liked Spy Game, I did
me too.
i like scott
enemy of the state
top gun
man on fire
the last boyscout
crimson tide
true romance
days of thunder
but the fan sucked ass.....
Winter takes stab at 'Warriors' redo
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Terence Winter, a writer and executive producer of "The Sopranos," has been drafted into "The Warriors" gang. The scribe will write the remake of the 1979 street-gang classic that Tony Scott is directing for MTV Films and Scott Free Prods. Paramount Pictures is distributing.
Scott's version will follow the outline of the first film -- in which a gang leader is assassinated during a truce, and The Warriors, wrongly accused of the assassination, must make their way home through hostile gang territories -- while updating the heightend reality of the original film for contemporary audiences. The original was directed by Walter Hill and was written by Hill and David Shaber. David Gale is producing with Scott, while MTV Films' Van Toffler is executive producing with Skip Chaisson.
Winter was Emmy-nominated five times for his work on "Sopranos." In 2002, he won a WGA Award in the television category that he shared with writer Timothy Van Patten for writing the "Pine Barrens" episode of the HBO series.
Suvari game for assist in NL's 'Domino'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Mena Suvari has fallen for a role in Tony Scott's "Domino" opposite Keira Knightley, sources have confirmed. The actress is the first piece of casting news to come out of the project, which is due to start shooting Monday. New Line Cinema will distribute the Samuel Hadida-produced film. "Domino" tells the real-life story of Domino Harvey, daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, who starred in the original version of "The Manchurian Candidate." She ditched a career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter. Suvari will play a producer's assistant in the project, which was penned by writer-director Richard Kelly. Scott and brother Ridley Scott's Scott Free Prods. is producing along with Hadida and his France-based Davis Films. Shooting is set for Los Angeles and Las Vegas. New Line production president Toby Emmerich is overseeing for the studio. Suvari is repped by the Gersh Agency and attorney Debbie Klein. She's coming off a recurring role on the most recent season of HBO's "Six Feet Under" and next stars in MGM's "Beauty Shop" opposite Queen Latifah. She is in front of cameras playing the sister of Jennifer Aniston's character in "Otherwise Engaged" for Warner Bros. Pictures and helmer Rob Reiner.
Top Gun -- cheesy
Beverly Hills Cop 2 -- bad
Revenge -- a nice, dark film noir -- I prefer Kevin Costner as a bad guy
Days of Thunder -- camp classic
Last Boy Scout -- better than I expected
True Romance -- a true classic
Crimson Tide -- dull
The Fan -- underrated -- deserves another look
CRIMSON TIDE. all star cast, the silver surfer, ghost written by tarantino and a guy named cobb. what more do you need?
Quote from: rudieobwhat more do you need?
One less sub thriller?
Quote from: soixante
Last Boy Scout -- better than I expected
True Romance -- a true classic
Crimson Tide -- dull
The Fan -- underrated -- deserves another look
Hey, I agree completely! I haven't seen the other ones you mentioned, but I'll add:
The Hunger -- cheesy erotic horror + Bauhaus + Bowie = pretty all right movie.
Spy Game -- good enough to watch, not good enough to watch twice
Man On Fire -- so over the top in its direction that it becomes quite fascinating. Brilliant use of subtitles.
Walken, Liu, Rourke game for 'Domino'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Tony Scott's "Domino" is falling into place with a cast that now includes Christopher Walken, Lucy Liu, Mickey Rourke, Macy Gray, Jacqueline Bisset, Edgar Ramirez, Mo'Nique and Shondrella Avery, sources confirmed.
Currently in front of cameras, the project stars Keira Knightley in the real-life story of Domino Harvey, daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, who starred in the original version of "The Manchurian Candidate." She ditched a career as a Ford model to become a bounty hunter.
Mena Suvari also is on board for a role, and sources say the rest of the cast is expected to be firmed up shortly, with offers out to Dabney Coleman and Delroy Lindo.
Walken plays a reality TV producer, while Liu plays a psychologist. Rourke has a meaty part playing a bounty hunter named Ed who is Domino's boss and mentor. Gray and Avery star as twins Lashindra and Lashandra, with Mo'Nique playing the role of Lateesha
i feel his movies are only as good as the writing. true romance was great. i also thought enemy of the state and revenge were entertaining as well. but you couldn't pay me enough to sit through the fan again
Quote from: MacGuffinGray and Avery star as twins Lashindra and Lashandra, with Mo'Nique playing the role of Lateesha
hmm.... thats too bad. i really though that monique would be a better lashindra. oh well, it could still be okay.
seriously though, i hope confessions of a dangerous mind didnt already tread on similar ground.
also: mickey rourkes comeback continues...
Scott's 'Domino' mixes cameras
Joining the growing movement toward digital lensing, director Tony Scott is using a hybrid array of high-definition video, digital still and motion picture film cameras on his new project, "Domino." Lensing began this month in Los Angeles on the New Line biopic, which was written by "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly for Davis Films/Scott Free Prods. Scott and his cinematographer Dan Mindel ("Spy Game) are using a Thomson Viper HD camera, a Canon digital still camera, a Panaflex Platinum, a Panavision Millennium XL and two hand-cranked Arriflex 2Cs. The mixture of film and digital footage will ultimately go through a digital intermediate master overseen by Scott's longtime digital colorist and CO3 founder Stephen Sonnenfeld.
agent orange was headache inducing. he is taking amazons money and just doing whatever the fuck he wants. it was pretty hard to watch, but maybe he picked up a few neat tricks while making it he can use on Domino.
Quote from: GhostboyMan On Fire -- so over the top in its direction that it becomes quite fascinating. Brilliant use of subtitles.
Hmmm... Just looked to me like Scott and his crew were coked out of their minds and made a mess of things...
could someone post the final freeze frame shot from Days of Thunder?
'Deja Vu' for Scott at Disney
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Tony Scott is in negotiations to direct the romantic thriller "Deja Vu" for producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the Walt Disney Studios. The screenplay by Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii centers on an FBI agent who travels back in time to save a woman from a murder and falls in love with her in the process. Scott and Bruckheimer have collaborated on such films as "Top Gun," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "Days of Thunder," "Crimson Tide" and "Enemy of the State." Bruckheimer will produce, along with executive producers Mike Stenson and Chad Oman, both of Bruckheimer Films, and Rossio and Ted Elliott. The project is being supervised by Buena Vista Motion Picture Group president Nina Jacobson and executive vp production Jason Reed. Scott, repped by CAA, is in postproduction on "Domino," the story of Domino Harvey, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey. "Domino" will be released domestically by New Line Cinema.
Denzel to do it again
Denzel Washington is in final talks to star in the Tony Scott-directed thriller "Deja Vu," Variety reports. The film, being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer ("CSI"), centers on an FBI agent (Washington) with the ability to travel back in time. He falls in love with a woman as she is about to be murdered. The trio previously teamed up for the submarine thriller Crimson Tide, which grossed $159 million worldwide.
Quote from: MacGuffinThe trio previously teamed up for the submarine thriller Crimson Tide, which grossed $159 million worldwide.
and yet no one remembers it..
ha. thats funny because i had never seen that movie until a month or two ago when i watched it. and thats exactly true. it was good but forgettable, despite a pretty interesting cast. i still love tony scott though.
Days of Thunder, which I just saw this weekend, is one of my favorite movies now.
Quote from: themodernage02ha. thats funny because i had never seen that movie until a month or two ago when i watched it. and thats exactly true. it was good but forgettable, despite a pretty interesting cast.
Did you guess the bits that Tarantino wrote?
Quote from: Gamblor HatesMySpaceandUDays of Thunder, which I just saw this weekend, is one of my favorite movies now.
Wheelchair race?
everything about superheroes and tv shows which seemed really out of place with the rest of the film?
Quote from: SHAFTRQuote from: Gamblor HatesMySpaceandUDays of Thunder, which I just saw this weekend, is one of my favorite movies now.
Wheelchair race?
"We looked like a monkey fucking a football!!"
"Rubbin''s racin'."
Quote from: themodernage02everything about superheroes and tv shows which seemed really out of place with the rest of the film?
And the stuff about white and black horses.
'Deja Vu' all over again with Scott
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Tony Scott is returning to direct Walt Disney Studios' "Deja Vu," now that it appears the project will be able to film in New Orleans as originally planned.
The action thriller is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and stars Denzel Washington. But its future had been in doubt since Scott left the project this month after its key location, New Orleans, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
At the time, Scott cited logistical and scheduling reasons in withdrawing from the project. Sources familiar with the director's position said Scott was adamant about shooting in the city for creative reasons -- in part because the script called for a dock and ferry in key scenes.
With Scott gone, even Washington's involvement had begun to look tenuous because the actor signed on in part because of his desire to work with the man who directed him in "Crimson Tide" and "Man on Fire."
But sources said Scott reconsidered when he learned that the city's dock was being repaired and would, along with parts of the city, be ready for a winter shoot.
The governor's Office of Film and Television in Harahan, La., has been working closely with the producers during the past few weeks to keep the movie in the state, convincing them of the feasibility of a shoot. The movie is considered important to the state's film industry because its $80 million-plus budget would stimulate the economy, its complex action sequences would help showcase what local crews can accomplish and New Orleans' prominence in the plot could serve as a boost in restoring tourism.
If the plan goes through, "Deja Vu" would be the first film to shoot in New Orleans post-Katrina.
By shooting in Louisiana, Disney also could take advantage of the state's generous tax incentives.
With CAA-repped Scott back in, the movie's preproduction is getting back on track. The studio said it hopes to begin shooting in New Orleans in late January or early February, and sources said that the production is in the early stages of checking out housing and hotels.
The screenplay by Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii centers on an FBI agent who travels back in time to save a woman from a murder and falls in love with her in the process.
Quote from: MacGuffinThe screenplay by Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii centers on an FBI agent who travels back in time to save a woman from a murder and falls in love with her in the process.
And his best friend is a talking pie.
Quote from: The Hollywood ReporterTony Scott is returning to direct Walt Disney Studios' "Deja Vu," now that it appears the project will be able to film in New Orleans as originally planned Domino tanked at the box office and Scott's offers started to dry up this week.
Helmer Talks Warriors Remake
Exclusive: "In the cards very soon," says Tony Scott.
Walter Hill's 1979 The Warriors remains a classic almost 30 years after its tale of gang warfare first unfolded on the screen. The film has found renewed interest in the past couple of years as well, via toys and videogames and a director's cut DVD, but perhaps most interesting of all is the longstanding talk of director Tony Scott's remaking the film for a modern audience. Now the helmer is telling IGN Movies that the remake might finally be getting underway.
"The Warriors is in the cards very soon," says Scott, whose film Déjà Vu will be seeing release next week. His Warriors will relocate the action from the streets of New York to those of Los Angeles. "I'm creating a journey from Long Beach to Santa Monica, to Venice, so I'm going to create this sort of little fictionalized journey, but it's going to be a lot tougher and I'll use a lot of the real world, the real gangs, the real people in the movie. That's why I call it Kingdom of Heaven, my brother's [Ridley Scott's] movie, in terms of scale, versus [the original] The Warriors."
Everyone remembers the story of The Warriors. As the gangs of New York rally in an attempt to make peace, the revered gangleader Cyrus is shot and killed, with the underdog gang the Warriors falsely accused of the crime. As the group tries to make it back to their home ground of Coney Island, every type of gang - from Baseball Furies to Lizzies - struggles to take them out. And as beloved as those unique gangs are by fans of the original film, Scott says that he plans on basing his gangs more in the real world.
"I'm going to do my own gangs from today, because [the original's] were really knock-offs from Kubrick's movie A Clockwork Orange," he says. "I'll do my own version but it's still that same journey, so therefore I'm paying homage to the movie. I'm not copying it. I'm not going to do what they did on Psycho, which is a frame-by-frame remake, which would be boring... God, I couldn't imagine that. I'd rather shoot myself than spend a year of my life doing that."
He's already done his research into the real gangs of L.A., in fact, and even utilized them a bit in his film Domino.
"I've met all the heads of all the different gangs, so I've already educated myself," says Scott. "They all said, 'Listen dude, if you get this on we'll sign a treaty and we'll all stand on the Long Beach Bridge. There'll be 150,000 members there. It'll look like the L.A. Marathon.' In Domino there was a little bit of that with the 18th Street Gang. The guy that Keira [Knightley] lap-dances with is the second-in-command of 240,000 members. And he was great! The culture and the music and the world has changed so much today, so it is such a wild world out here and all these young [people], from the Cambodians to the Vietnamese to the Crips and the Bloods and the 18th Street Gang, the cultural differences and the music has such a broad range. So I'm going to bring all that to the movie."
Additionally, Scott says that he hardly recognizes the film as a remake. He sees the tale of the Warriors as a simplistic story - "It's 10 little Indians at point B and they have to get back to point A" - that he is just adapting with a modern spin.
"I love the movie," he says of the original. "And what I've done is make it contemporary, and I'm going to shoot it contemporary by shooting it here. The original Warriors was New York in the '70s, and everything went upwards, everything went vertically. And now I'm making it a contemporary thing and doing it in L.A., so everything is horizontal. So my vision of The Warriors is Los Angeles in 2007 and the gangs, instead of being 30, are going to be 3,000 or 5,000."
Exclusive: Warriors Update
Tony Scott talks gang warfare...
Source: Empire Online
Having already revealed to Empire that his version of the 1979 cult-smash The Warriors is going to be a definite reinvention rather than a simple remake, Tony Scott's passion for the project is most definitely on the rise.
Speaking at the London premiere of his latest action extravaganza Deja Vu, the helmer talked exclusively to Empire about what we can expect from his version of the gangland classic: "I'm going to make it my vision" stated Scott, "It's going to be The Warriors meets Kingdom Of Heaven. It's a very simplistic story – that's the connection. I'm going to shoot it in L.A and all the gang members have said, if I get it on, they'll sign a treaty for the duration of the shoot."
Visibly excited at the prospect of creating, what will undoubtedly become, one of the movie's key sequences, Scott reiterated his desire "to have 50,000 gang members on Long Beach...you just can't substitute those gang members with extras. I haven't met with the heads [of the gangs]", he revealed. "In those situations you meet with the second in command. Touching these worlds is exciting for me, because I don't really understand how they function and who these guys are. In the right environment, they're sweethearts, but hit them in the wrong environment..."
The Warriors is set to hit screens in 2008.
Scott fights for rights to Dollard
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Tony Scott is setting his sights to bring the story of Hollywood agent-turned-pro-war documentary filmmaker Pat Dollard to the big screen.
Scott, via his production banner Scott Free Prods., has dipped into its discretionary fund to option the Vanity Fair article "Pat Dollard's War on Hollywood" as well as to option Dollard's life rights. Dollard and the article's author, Evan Wright, will write the screenplay.
The article portrayed Dollard, who nurtured the career of a then-unknown Steven Soderbergh, as the stereotypical Hollywood agent with a drug-fueled lifestyle and a collection of ex-wives. Dollard chucked the "Entourage"-esque world, embedding himself with Marines in Iraq, where he joined patrols and survived several bombings. Dollard went from wearing Armani suits to combat gear, hair styled in a Mohawk and the word "die" shaved into his chest hair.
The article described his attempt to sell the documentary, titled "Young Americans," as well as his making a concurrent docu, an incoherent porn filmed by a rehab sidekick, which echoed "Auto Focus," a film that Dollard produced.
The material fits into Scott's oeuvre, as he often focuses on off-kilter characters like Hollywood model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey, whose life was depicted in his film "Domino." He most recently directed "Deja Vu." Scott is repped by CAA.
Wright wrote the book "Generation Kill," also about the Iraq War, which is being adapted into a miniseries for HBO. He is repped by ICM and attorney Alex Kohner of Barnes Morris Klein.
Tony Scott Directs Numb3rs Premiere
Feature film director/producer Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Déjà Vu) makes his network television directing debut, helming the season premiere of "Numb3rs," to be broadcast Friday, Sept. 28 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
Scott's episode will serve as a template that freshens up the production values of the show for the fourth season. It picks up where last season's finale left off, with the discovery that Agent Colby Granger (Dylan Bruno) was a mole within the FBI. Now Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and the rest of his team, including his mathematician brother, Charlie (David Krumholtz), must deal with the repercussions.
Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker, Ken Sanzel, Don McGill, Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton are executive producers of "Numb3rs," which was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton. "Numb3rs" is produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with Scott Free for CBS. "Numb3rs" airs Fridays at 10:00 PM (ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
'Pelham' on Track
Denzel Washington and Tony Scott are expected to reteam for the fourth time on a remake of 1974's subway thriller ''The Taking of Pelham One Two Three''
Source: Entertainment Weekly
It could be déjà vu all over again (and again) for Denzel Washington and Tony Scott. EW.com has learned that Washington is in negotiations to star in a Scott-directed remake of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three for Sony. (The studio declined to comment.) Based on the 1974 movie starring Walter Matthau, Pelham would feature Washington as a cop who must stop a hijacked subway car. The movie would mark the fourth pairing of Washington and Scott. Their previous collaborations include the kidnapping drama Man on Fire, the submarine thriller Crimson Tide, and last year's Déjà Vu, about a ferry boat explosion. Now, with this subway movie on track, we're dying to see which mode of transportation they tackle next. Air Force Two, perhaps?
Tony Scott to direct Don Aronow film
Lerner script follows cigarette boat inventor
Source: Variety
Fox 2000 and director Tony Scott are teaming on a feature about Don Aronow, the inventor of the cigarette boat.
Scott intends to helm the film from a script Michael A.M. Lerner is penning. Scott Free will produce.
Aronow was a self-made millionaire businessman and powerboat racing's world champ for 10 straight years. His cigarette boat became a favorite of Colombian drug smugglers looking to import their product into Miami in the 1980s. Aronow got a $20 million contract to build boats for U.S. Customs agents to catch the smugglers. He was eventually gunned down in 1987 in a mob-style hit in Miami.
Lerner teamed with partners Jeff Shapiro and Alan Hecht to option rights of Aronow's surviving son, Michael. Shapiro and Hecht will be exec producers.
Scott will first direct Denzel Washington in a remake of "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" for Columbia Pictures.
Lerner is a former Newsweek correspondent who wrote and directed the indie feature "Deadlines," based on his experiences covering war in Lebanon.
Travolta boards 'Pelham' remake
Actor to play Washington's foil in Scott film
Source: Variety
John Travolta is boarding "The Taking of Pelham 123," negotiating to join Denzel Washington in the Tony Scott-directed remake at Columbia.
Travolta will play the leader of a quartet that hijacks a Gotham subway train and threatens to kill the passengers unless a ransom is paid. The role was originated in the 1974 film by Robert Shaw. Washington plays the chief detective of security for the subway, a role originated by Walter Matthau in the Joseph Sargent-directed drama.
David Koepp wrote the script and Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch are producing through Escape Artists. Tony Scott is also producing through his Scott Free banner. The film rolls into production early next year.
Scott heavily courted Travolta to make "Pelham" his first action role in years. Travolta is coming off a drag turn as Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray" and is currently re-teaming with "Wild Hogs" helmer Walt Becker in "Old Dogs."
Travolta last played the figurative heavy in "The Punisher" in 2004.
Tony Scott boards 'Unstoppable'
Director hitches on to Fox thriller
Source: Variety
Tony Scott has boarded the Fox thriller "Unstoppable," intending to make it the next film he directs.
That puts "Unstoppable" on an express track toward production. Scott is working with screenwriter Mark Bomback to get the picture in shape to be shot later this year.
The drama involves an unmanned runaway train that is carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. An engineer and his conductor find themselves in a race against time.
Julie Yorn is producing, and Scott will board the project as a producer as well.
Scott most recently completed "The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3," the Columbia Pictures drama that will be released June 12.
Washington in talks for 'Unstoppable'
Actor may star in Tony Scott-directed thriller
Source: Variety
Denzel Washington is negotiating to star in drama "Unstoppable," the Tony Scott-directed that 20th Century Fox has on track for a fall production start.
Washington would play an experienced engineer who jumps in a locomotive with a young conductor to chase down a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. Mark Bomback wrote the script, which is loosely inspired by a true event.
Julie Yorn is producing "Unstoppable" with Scott.
The drama would reunite Washington and Scott for their fifth film together. Aside from "Crimson Tide," "Man on Fire" and "Deja Vu," the duo just completed another train-based thriller, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which Columbia Pictures releases June 12.
Washington has been filming "The Book of Eli" for Alcon Entertainment and Silver Pictures, with Allen and Albert Hughes directing the post-apocalyptic thriller that Warner Bros. releases in early 2010.
Tony Scott Talks Up 'The Warriors'
Source: MTV
News like this makes me smile my big, gaping fanboy smile. "The Warriors" is a modern classic, the tale of a gang making their way from the Bronx to Coney Island while a city full of rivals hunts them. There's so much about the original film that's memorable, from iconic lines like "Can you diiiiiig iiiiiiit?" to the memorable opening credits sequence.
Now we have Tony Scott speaking with Rotten Tomatoes about his coming remake. Or whatever it is. "I'm not doing a straight remake," he told RT. "I love the original 'Warriors' and I'm using the same basic story. It's really still 10 guys stuck at point B and they need to get back to point A. But I'm going to set it in Los Angeles and it's going to be a kind of study of gang culture in LA today."
The original film is set in a fictional New York City which has been overrun by gangs, who have divided up each neighborhood into different territories. Scott revealed to RT that he's been speaking with local LA gangs, specifically naming the "Crips, Bloods, The 18th Street Gang [and] The Vietnamese." The response has been positive so far as Scott tells it; many gang members have seen the original and are excited about the possibility of getting involved with the remake.
As a native New Yorker, I'm not terribly pleased to hear about the change of venue but I suppose it makes sense. Los Angeles is a very different sort of location; Scott describes it as "a city which is horizontal." His vision? "I'm hoping to get a hundred thousand real gang members standing on the Vincent Thomas Bridge for one shot." The number sounds a bit large, but I like the ambition Tony!
It's not a remake, and it's certainly not a sequel. MTV's Splash Page has the exclusive there: a preview of the upcoming comic "The Warriors: Jailbreak," which is set directly after the events of the first film. It's all part of Paramount's 30th anniversary celebration for the film.
Scott has had a busy few days, as I reported late yesterday that he revealed an "Alien" prequel is in the works, with commercials director Carl Rinsch in place to direct.
Tony Scott Sees Javier Bardem For 'Pancho Villa'
MTV's Josh Horowitz recently caught up with Hollywood superman Tony Scott to chat about the release of his upcoming remake, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which releases this Friday. The conversation eventually turned towards what's next for Scott, who was more than happy to drop some hints on what his next move will be.
One possibility he seemed particularly excited about would be a re-telling of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa's story. For Scott, the biopic is going to be his "big epic" Western. And he sees only one possible candidate for the starring roll: Javier Bardem.
"I've been talking to him about it now for... about eight years," Scott told MTV. The long gestation time may suggest that we'll continue to wait while Scott gets through his current commitments to "Alien" and "The Warriors", but at least we know that Javier is interested.
Why, you may ask? Because Scott has already discussed it with him! "He [told me], 'I am Pancho Villa,'" Scott said of Bardem's response to the possibility. Unfortunately, the director stopped there, refusing to divulge any further details about his plans.
A new take on Pancho Villa would certainly be welcome; it's an incredible story that's produced some great film. HBO broadcast their own version starring Antonio Banderas in 2003, titled "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself." But there hasn't been a proper big screen take on the story since director Eugenio Martín's "Pancho Villa" (1972), which featured "Kojak" star Telly Savalas in the title role.
'Traffic' Writer Stephen Gaghan Scripting Hunter S. Thompson Adaptation 'Hell's Angels' For Tony Scott
Source: MTV
Filmmaker Tony Scott was all over the place in his recent interview with ComingSoon. Yesterday, we reported that he's officially called a "time out" on talk of the rumored "Alien" remake. He also revealed his plans for the coming "re-tooling" of "The Warriors," along with a bunch of other interesting tidbits.
The bit that really caught my eye was the revelation that Stephen Gaghan, the Oscar-winning writer of "Traffic," is developing a script for an adaptation of Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's seminal work, "Hell's Angels." It's a wild bit of non-fiction writing culled from a very specific moment in history.
Thompson essentially signed on as a de facto member of the notorious biker gang while conducting his research. The process of earning the gang's trust to the point that he let them hang around is a story unto itself. Thompson was always an outsider as far as the gang was concerned, but to varying degrees. The result in print is a marvelously up close and personal look at the violent yet surprisingly honor-driven lifestyle of the country's most notorious biker gang, a group which occupied a decidedly unique niche within '60s counter-culture.
Thompson's rascally voice is more reserved in "Angels" than what many know from his drug-addled trip to Sin City in "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas," which was itself adapted — and very successfully — for film by director Terry Gilliam. The author is less a perpetrator in the earlier work than he is an observer, letting the gang life unfold while he reports. There's occasional commentary as well, and it's equally fascinating to watch Thompson's evolution from wary outsider to sympathetic defender.
Gaghan is an interesting choice to write, almost as much as Tony Scott is to direct and/or produce. "Fear & Loathing" practically demanded Gilliam's maniacal touch. I'm not so sure I feel the same about "Angels" and its linkage with Scott/Gaghan, but I am excited nonetheless to see momentum carrying this project towards fruition.
Personally, I can only see Scott sticking to a producer's role for this one. As a director, he tends to deal in a very specific type of melodrama and spectacle. Thompson's "Hell's Angels" just doesn't seem like a project that Scott would deliver on. I'd be much better off with someone like Steven Soderbergh stepping in for this one.
"Hell's Angels" is a undoubtedly challenging adaptation, and I'm more interested in seeing it done right than anything else. Gaghan and Scott are talented filmmakers who both know their business. Here's hoping they play it straight and simply let the work speak for itself; there's too much "truth is stranger than fiction" to Thompson's experiences with the Angels lifestyle for anything less.
Wooooohooooooo.
Tony Scott dances to '80s tune
Film based on Chippendales creator Banerjee
Source: Variety
Tony Scott has become attached to direct a film about the rise and fall of Steve Banerjee, the man responsible for creating Chippendales, who was consumed by excess and competition when the male strip clubs became a phenomenon in the 1980s.
Scott and his Scott Free banner will produce with David Permut's Permut Presentations and Firoz Nadiadwala.
Script will be written by Lisa Schrager, who penned the Heidi Fleiss story "Pay the Girl" for Nicole Kidman at Paramount and "Gangsta Bitches" at Universal. She will adapt a manuscript written by Rodney Sheldon.
Pic is being financed from a private equity fund raised out of India by Permut.
With a tone similar to the Scott-directed "True Romance," pic will follow the improbable rise and fall of Banerjee, who went from pumping gas in Culver City to running a high-end nightclub that evolved into Chippendales. After hiring a New York choreographer to polish the all-male dance troupe, Banerjee became wildly rich, as well as unreasonably competitive and paranoid. Banerjee hired a hitman to murder the choreographer when negotiations went sour. After being arrested, Banerjee died in jail awaiting trial.
Scott is currently directing the Denzel Washington-Chris Pine starrer "Unstoppable" for 20th Century Fox.
Permut produced "Youth in Revolt," the Michael Cera-Zach Galifianakis comedy that Dimension opens early next year.
Peter Saphier will be executive producer and Steve Longi will be co-producer.
Scott Plots `Potsdamer Platz' With Javier Bardem, Jason Statham And Mickey Rourke
By MIKE FLEMING; Deadline Hollywood
EXCLUSIVE:Potzdamer Platz is shaping up as to be the next film that Tony Scott will direct. He has Javier Bardem, Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke circling--along with three financiers--for a drama about two soldiers in a New Jersey-based crime family who try to expand internationally.
By the time the picture pulls together its financing and distribution for a fall start, it will probably have a new title. Potzdamer Platz refers to a train station and bustling commerce center in Germany, and I'm told the venue is being changed to Puerto Rico.
I'd heard that in addition to that trio of thesps, Scott was hoping to coax his Crimson Tide star Gene Hackman into starring. I'm told by insiders that's not going to happen, which likely means that Hackman—who last starred in 2004's Welcome to Mooseport—is content writing books and isn't eager to return to the screen.
Scott and his Scott Free banner have been working on Potzdamer Platz since the script was acquired in 2000. The script by Buddy Giovinazzo has been rewritten by the Sexy Beast team of David Scinto and Louis Mellis. The film is being sold by CAA's Film Finance Group. While word is that Relativity and Lionsgate are among the interested parties, 20th Century Fox gets first crack at the picture, because Scott Free is based there. The other financiers in the mix are Metropolitan, Sammy Hadida's company which was involved in Scott's True Romance, Inferno, and QED International are circling along with Relativity for the $38 million budget drama.
Scott, who most recently completed the runaway train drama Unstoppable with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine for Fox, has long held Potzdamer Platz close to his heart and brought it up for years in junket interviews along with other passion projects that include a remake of the Walter Hill-directed Warriors. Looks like Scott is finally going to get this one before the cameras
Tony Scott to Direct Nemesis for Fox
by SuperHeroHype
20th Century Fox has acquired the film rights to writer Mark Millar ("Wanted," "Kick-Ass") and artist Steve McNiven's graphic novel "Nemesis," with Tony Scott attached to direct and Scott Free producing. Marvel describes the title as follows:
CIVIL WAR? Nothing. KICK-ASS? A warmup. What if the smartest, toughest costumed bad ass in the world was totally evil? Meet Nemesis. He's systematically been destroying the lives of every police chief in Asia, and he's now set his sights on Washington, DC. Between you and me, the police don't have a chance. Do not miss the book that EVERYONE will be talking about by the creative team that made CIVIL WAR the biggest book of the decade.
Millar commented on the announced on his official site:
Oh, man. It's so good to finally be able to talk about this:
The man who shot Maverick in Top Gun, Bruce in the Last Boy Scout, yelled action for Will Smith in Enemy of the State, directed Denzel in Man on Fire (one of the finest revenge movies ever made), had Tarantino rework Hackman's dialogue in Crimson Tide and gave me Deneuve's naughtiest performance in The Hunger is directing our movie. Oh, AND he did True Romance, for my money the best of all the Tarantino flicks. Tony Scott: I can't even pretend to be cool about this.
Bryan Hitch and I would reference Tony on a weekly basis when we were doing The Ultimates. Our dream was an Ultimates movie with Scott directing because he can do the character work and the intensity, but also handle scale and action like practically no other. The idea of a him helming a superhero movie had us giddy and here he is directing the one Steve McNiven and I created. We found out last Friday night and managed to keep a secret from all but a few of our closest friends and family. But this is the call I had a couple of weeks back, which I described as the most exciting of my career; Tony on the blower chatting about how he wanted to shoot certain scenes if we gave him the rights. He was buzzing about it, describing Steve as the best comic book artist he's seen in over twenty years. We talked casting, we talked budget (and we're talking way more than Wanted and Kick-Ass put together here in terms of money for him to play with) and we talked with Fox about making this into a major franchise, something they're really going to invest their time and energy into.
As you can imagine, I'm more than excited. Steve is delirious and this puts our books instantly in an entirely different league in Hollywood terms. Tony said this was a very timely project and Fox want to get this moving as soon as possible. Next up is a script and the writer we talked about did one of my top five movies of all time. The actor he's shooting for as the lead character is going to blow your socks off.
I'm happy and Steve's happy. This has been the most exciting week you can imagine and we're enormously appreciative of all the people who have been waiting around for the twenty-four hours we've been waiting for the news to go live. It's incredibly affirming to have people so into the work that they care enough and apologies for the delay in getting this out there, but we hope you agree this is awesome news.
Very best wishes,
MM
Tony Scott Boarding 'The Wild Bunch' While Revving 'Hell's Angels' As Next Pic
BY MIKE FLEMING | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline revealed this morning that Ridley Scott was returning to his sci-fi classic Blade Runner. His Scott Free partner and brother Tony Scott is also getting serious about a new version of a movie classic. Scott is in talks with Warner Bros to direct a reboot of the 1969 Sam Peckinpah-directed The Wild Bunch. This film becomes one of three or so that Scott is most eager to direct as his follow-up to the Denzel Washington-Chris Pine action film Unstoppable.
Scott's next assignment will be Hell's Angels, though its timing will depend on whether he gets the actor he wants to play gang leader Sonny Barger. I'm told that he wants Jeff Bridges. They've not met face to face yet, because Bridges is right now touring his self-titled musical album that he recorded after he won the Oscar playing Bad Blake in Crazy Heart. Once Bridges gets back to film work, he's booked to star with Ryan Reynolds in Universal's R.I.P.D. and Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures' The Seventh Son. If Scott has his heart set on Bridges and the actor says yes, Hell's Angels won't get underway until next spring or later. Fox 2000's Hell's Angels is set around the Laughlin riots of 2001 when the Angels were caught up in a war with rival gang The Mongols. The drama revolves around a friendship that develops between Barger and a young drifter mechanic with a gift for fixing motorcycles. The script is in by Scott Frank, who did numerous rewrites of an earlier draft by Stephen Gaghan.
Scott is also making a high priority of the reinvention of his 1986 Tom Cruise hit Top Gun. I'm not sure where this leaves the remake of Potzdamer Platz and an adaptation of the John Grisham novel The Associate, two films that were on Scott's front burner.
The original The Wild Bunch was about an aging group of outlaws that try for one last score on the Texas-Mexico border in 1913, as the Old West changes around them. The original starred William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan and Warren Oates. The studio has tried for years to get this going, once getting a script from Training Day's David Ayer. It's early days on the project, but Scott and producer Jerry Weintraub have a take for the movie and Brian Helgeland will draft it. Scott is repped by CAA.
Is 'Lucky Strike' Next Up For Tony Scott, With Vince Vaughn?
BY MIKE FLEMING | Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Might we finally have an answer to the question: what film will Tony Scott next direct? Things are starting to look up for Lucky Strike, a project that is gaining steam. In the configuration I'm hearing about, Vince Vaughn would star, with a potential late summer or early fall start date and Emmett/Furla Films funding the $80 million film and 20th Century Fox distributing. That's where Scott Free has its deal, and Scott Free will produce with Randall Emmett and George Furla. The latter have been footing the bill for a group of high profile projects, the most recent 2 Guns, the drama that has come together with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, with Universal is distributing domestically and Sony World Wide Acquisitions buying most territories around the world.
Henry Bean wrote Lucky Strike, an action film in which a DEA agent teams with a drug runner to take down a drug cartel. Scott, who last directed Unstoppable, has liked this project for a long time. He has also been working hard on Hell's Angels, which was scripted by Scott Frank. And what about that remake of Walter Hill's The Warriors?
BREAKING: Film director Tony Scott jumps to his death from Vincent Thomas Bridge
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_21349685/breaking-man-who-jumped-from-vincent-thomas-bridge?source=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
woah.. :yabbse-undecided:
:shock:
:( Oh god no... This is so fucked up... he was one of my favorites.
"May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest... and goodnight sweet prince"
R.I.P
I'm speechless
RIP
:yabbse-sad:
I am shocked.
When I worked on Crimson Tide, he was so kind to us and such a funny man.
this is just terrible.
just crossed this bridge last week.
that's such an odd location though i guess if the thought is bridge in LA....bizarre.
wonder if brother scott's the counselor will stop shooting.
Damn. RIP.
Can't say I knew much about him outside of his films (didn't know he had a favourite red cap for example).. but still, kinda shocking way to go. He's definitely one of the better known directors, so someone will probably end up revealing what the suicide note said or what the reason might've been, i gotta say i'm morbidly curious. not that it's any of our business..
fucking awful.
see ya later, Tony Scott...
several news sites are saying that he apparently had inoperable brain cancer...
Terrible news. Interesting how much the news of his inoperable brain cancer changes the context of the suicide though. Makes it almost as heroic as tragic.
No I think heroic would be to die with dignity in the privacy of his home or in Oregon or Washington state where apparently euthanasia is legal (http://www.euthanasia.com/euthanasiamap.html) and not ruin everybody's day and waste local resources with a painstaking cadaver search and investigation.
Not to mention the trauma to his kids who instead of having their mother deal with their grief privately now have news of their dad offing himself all over TV to a much greater extent than would have occurred if done with some consideration*..
*I dunno, I guess there's no considerate way to kill yourself.
I haven't had the internet or the tube for a couple weeks and I walk into work and a co worker comes up to me; keep in mind this guy is the one whose quotes are always in the, "worst things you've ever heard someone say about a movie thread," and as he walks up with a smirk he says, "I guess tony scott needed a wing man."
Me, having no clue about what had happened, I stand there and stare blankly back at him saying, "I don't get it."
"you didn't hear? tony scott killed himself...I guess he needed a wing man."
Just thought i'd let you all know how I receive news these days. Oh yeah, and slipknot was right, People = Shit.
Whoops. No brain cancer (http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/20/tony-scott-suicide-no-brain-cancer-tumor/).
Now I'm just confused.
By the way P, that diagram of "places where assisted suicide is legal," just blew my mind.
Coroner: Scott's notes didn't say reason for death
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles County coroner's officials say notes left behind by "Top Gun" director Tony Scott did not give a motive why he would kill himself.
Coroner's office spokesman Ed Winter also said Friday the notes didn't mention any health issues.
The 68-year-old Scott died Sunday after leaping from the Vincent Thomas Bridge into Los Angeles Harbor. An autopsy was performed on the British-born director's body Monday, but it will be a month or more before an official cause of death is determined.
Coroner's officials are treating Scott's death as a probable suicide.
Winter says one of the notes left in his car was a list of emergency contact numbers and another included messages to friends and loved ones.