Which Alexander the Great pic would you rather see?

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RUMOR CONTROL: What Ever Happened To Bazs Luhrman's Alexander?
Source: Premiere Magazine

Oliver Stone's Alexander was less than great by box office standards, but that isn't stopping director Baz Luhrmann from making his own biopic of the Macedonian military man- despite what his leading lady says.  

The gridlocked project recently drew attention when Nicole Kidman, who was set to play Alexanders mother, Olympias, told the press that the production was off.  Not so, according to the directors spokesperson, Maria Farmer.  "Baz is still finalizing the script for Alexander the Great." she says.

But the truth is that recent sword and sandal fare has had trouble conscripting audiences (Alexander banked only $34 million domestically, King Arthur took in $51.9 million; Troy led with $133.3 million), which may make it a struggle for Luhrmann to keep the big-budget epic alive.  Though he has shot some footage- reportedly including promotional material of Leonardo DiCaprio, who may play Alexander, in full battle regalia- no start date is set, and neither Kidman nor DiCaprio has signed a contract.  If Luhrmann does get the green light, we have only one request: Shelve the leather and metal minis for men.  The last time a guy looked tough in a skirt was, well, never.

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De Laurentiis Says Alexander Still a Go
Source: Mary February 22, 2005

According to Italy's Il Corriere della Sera (via Screen Daily), producer Dino De Laurentiis has re-assured that he is moving forward with plans to film his Alexander the Great project, to be directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) and to star Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman.

"We will shoot the film in one year's time, and it will be the Alexander that everyone has been waiting for," De Laurentiis said, confirming the talent that was attached to the project when it was announced in 2003.

De Laurentiis's film was put on hold when Oliver Stone's rival Alexander project started in 2004. "I don't want to hit out against Oliver Stone, who merits respect. But his picture was certainly flawed, and was missing the spine of a screenplay," the Italian producer told the Milan newspaper.

He added that "epic films are difficult to do well. King Arthur was also flawed. It badly copied ideas from the third film in my schedule, which is based on Valerio Massimo Manfredi's novel, 'The Last Legion'."

The Last Legion is set during the fall of the Roman empire and tells the true story of a group of legionaries who go to Britain to save the young emperor of Rome who has been kidnapped by barbarians. De Laurentiis said that Carlo Carlei is no longer attached to direct that project and a new director has not been announced.

Meanwhile, De Laurentiis is currently preparing Decameron, an adaptation of the 14th century Italian classic by Giovanni Boccaccio. The $38 million drama, written and directed by David Leland, will start shooting in April in Rome and Tuscany.

Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith) plays the lead role of Lorenzo, starring opposite Mischa Barton (The O.C.), who plays Pampinea.

Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli heads the production's art department. "You won't be seeing any leotards," De Laurentiis warned. "The costumes and sketches I've seen are wonderful, and are adapted to young people on the road today."

Boccaccio's "Il Decameron" (c.1351) is a series of one hundred stories written in the wake of the Black Death. The stories are told in a country villa outside the city of Florence by ten young noble men and women who are seeking to escape the ravages of the plague.

De Laurentiis's upcoming projects also include The Lecter Variation, which follows Hannibal Lecter from his childhood in Lithuania through a period in Paris to his arrival in the US. The film will feature Lecter at the ages of 8, 14 and 20. De Laurentiis confirmed that the movie will be directed by Peter Webber, and the cast will include Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha).

[©brad]

will someone please just kill De Laurentiis already? or, atleast, heavily sedate him to the point where he is uncapable of speaking or doing anything that would allow him to greenlight a movie.