any thoughts? opinions?
i like nikita and his older stuff, leon too of course... but has anyone seen the transporter? it looks pretty crappy
How about The Messenger? I thought it was visually amazing, but not well put together.
reasons why sphinx enjoyed the messenger
john malkovich
dustin hoffman
I thought Malkovich was terrible in the Messenger. Very nice visually though
yeah, besson is a great visual director. fifth element is one of my favorites. it's good for it's mindless fun, it's humor, and it's beautiful photography. not to mention a nekkit milla.
amen to all that. i didnt think the messanger was that bad. i found it.... "okay"
I've liked some of his films, but the one discernable thing about him as a director that really seems to be most obvious is just his existence as a visual director and bringing a certain visual identity to each film he does. Fine and dandy but when you don't have grounds on a good story, like the case was with many of his films, it becomes very bad. Sam Peckinpah seems best to compare in this case, where he was known simply for the identity of a highly realized visual violence in his films that was influential for the 1970s.
~rougerum
I think La Femme Nikita is pretty good, but Leon is awesome...it used to be one of my all time favorites, actually. And Fifth Element, aside from being visually stunning and having Milla Jovovich fully and partially naked for most of the running time (sorry, don't mean to be sexist, but she's cute), is the closest any film has come to capturing that old serial spirit since Indiana Jones.
I've seen all of Besson's films except for Les Dernier Combat (or whatever it's called) and that underwater film...not The Big Blue, the other one that no one's ever heard of. Anyway, I used to love him, but The Messenger was the biggest disappointment of 99. It was almost so great, and it should have been incredible considering that Besson is so fond of films about female empowerment. But it fell flat dramatically and left a really bad aftertase. Since then, he's just done rather unexciting action film writing/producing. I heard he was really discouraged about the reaction to The Messenger.
Quote from: cecil b. dementedhas anyone seen the transporter? it looks pretty crappy
Piece of shit. Only one good fight. But Besson only wrote and produced, same as the other piece of shit "Kiss Of The Dragon".
the underwater one that no one knows....
it's called atlantis.
Imagine Fantasia wasn't an animation, and it was directed by jacques-yves cousteau
mia jovacich(sp?) is one sexy kitten -- but once she opens her mouth, its all down hill...
liked nikita, professional, and dernier combat.....dernier combat is a great film..not a word of dialog in the whole thing.
5th element was fun and messenger was almost there...but was quite dissapointing because it was so close and yet missed the mark.
Based on The Big Blue, I hate Luc Besson.
The Fifth Element had some things that looked technically pretty difficult to pull off, but as far as the "look" of the film- bad Sci-Fi Channel, anyone? Too slick for me.
I have not seen La Femme Nikita or Leon, both of which I'm more than willing to give a fair shake, but I can't make them priorities since, based on the Besson I have seen, they seem likely to be disappointing or even infuriating.
Godardian,
Even in the eyes of someone critical of Besson's work, don't let those two films sway your opinion of the two you mentioned. They should be seen and even if I had problems with one of them, they still go for something admirable.
~rougerum
I just wanted to toss this out there since I just saw Leon again for the first time in awhile.
That's gotta be one of the most brilliant death scenes in any movie. So many subtle things together that made it great: walking down the hallway towards "the light at the end", the focus pull on the barrel of the gun, the muffled audio and then finally... the single flash of light and slowly crumpling.
I love it.
Penelope Cruz & Salma Hayek in Besson Western?
Source: Variety
Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek have been offered roles in French producer Luc Besson's Mexico-set comedy Western. They would play feisty bank robbers.
Set up at Besson's EuropaCorp Gallic production company, the project is based on an idea from Besson. A director has yet to be attached.
"Penelope and Salma have been close friends for several years. They've always wanted to work together, and they are delighted that Luc has come up with a production that could well give them that opportunity," said Katrina Bayonas, whose Kuranda Intl. Management represents Cruz.
Mixed opinion from this new project. On one hand, you have a talented director making a western and it actually sounds like it could be good. On the other hand, it also sounds like another indication on the further travels of the western genre toward the center of its earth as it has been sitting dead in a grave in relevance since 1971, when Altman made McCabe and Mrs Miller. Every project since then has a been a reach to the past to ty to grab something and recreate it. That says nothing about relevance. So in this potential good and fun movie, there may be a feeling of a once great genre yet again being mocked.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetOn one hand, you have a talented director making a western and it actually sounds like it could be good.
Might not be a talented director -- Besson's only producing. And his track record since Fifth Element has been spotty. Either good trash or bad trash, but nothing great.
Isn't he done with his racing movie by now, though? I imagine that will be coming out soon.
Thanks for the clarification. And yes, he has been spotty in producing projects since Fifth Element. Actually, I think "spotty" may be a little too nice. I think the only movie of his producing wise I enjoyed was 'The Transporter', which isn't even good. Its just I am rendered helpless by the action genre quite easily when it sticks to some kind of story, whether good or not.
Yeah, that's the only one I liked as well -- definitely falls under the good trash category. I'm not, however, all that excited by the prospect of the recently announced sequel. Oh well. He needs to do something like The Messenger again -- not necessarily a failure, like that movie was, but something challenging. He writes the action movies he produces in his sleep.
I'm not sure I'd like to see him do something really challenging. He gives in way too much to style (weaknesses) impulses when doing so. I don't see him being honest with the story. What I'd like to see him do is return to simplicity in action and story as what he did with La Femme Nikita. Thats my favorite of his and most satisfactory of any of his films. I like Leon, but have many problems with it. Besson can excell like The Bourne Identity with its good performance with video rentals and saying that simplicity in action can make money and I predict that if the two sequels stay true to that form of The Bourne Identity, they will make money in theatres based on its success on video.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetI like Leon, but have many problems with it.
What are your problems with it, and have you seen the Uncut International Version?
Leon's my favorite. It was my second favorite movie of all time when I was fourteen.
When I said he needs to do something challenging, I meant more in the form of La Femme Nikita and Leon -- i.e. something that actually has dramatic merit. It can be as simple as it needs to be -- I just want some substance.
No, I haven't seen the uncut international version - so maybe I shouldn't call it Leon.
My problems run like this. In its attempt to run as dramatic observance, its premise is completely goofy: A girl is orphaned because her family is killed and taken in by an assasin who allows her to learn how to kill so she can gain revenge - all at the tender age of 12. I also never felt the movie really transform this premise into anything serious by venturing outside the obvious expected details all that much. Still a lot of attention paid to girl just learning how to kill. Still a lot of attention paid to the assasasin killing other people. Still the bad guy is over exaggerated and more believable on level of movie land bad guy (To defend this: Oldman plays the cop like a drug lord and his characters runs around so much out in the open that its hard to believe a cop could get away with it all so freely). Still the end fight is the memorable and most prolific scene in the entire movie. In between all this, good performances and moments of drama are added. The movie still was genre to me. It just felt like it had filters to it and were allowing some good things in. I didn't believe it as drama nor was really effected by it at all on any higher level than action film, which is what I liked most about it.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetNo, I haven't seen the uncut international version - so maybe I shouldn't call it Leon.
My problems run like this. In its attempt to run as dramatic observance, its premise is completely goofy: A girl is orphaned because her family is killed and taken in by an assasin who allows her to learn how to kill so she can gain revenge - all at the tender age of 12. I also never felt the movie really transform this premise into anything serious by venturing outside the obvious expected details all that much. Still a lot of attention paid to girl just learning how to kill. Still a lot of attention paid to the assasasin killing other people. Still the bad guy is over exaggerated and more believable on level of movie land bad guy (To defend this: Oldman plays the cop like a drug lord and his characters runs around so much out in the open that its hard to believe a cop could get away with it all so freely). Still the end fight is the memorable and most prolific scene in the entire movie. In between all this, good performances and moments of drama are added. The movie still was genre to me. It just felt like it had filters to it and were allowing some good things in. I didn't believe it as drama nor was really effected by it at all on any higher level than action film, which is what I liked most about it.
That's why I asked if you had seen the "full" cut. It does add more characterization and the controversial "lolita" relationship. Maybe it might fill in some gaps you thought were missing.
Umm...
Portman Agrees To 'Leon' Sequel
Movie beauty Natalie Portman is keen to reprise her debut film role in a sequel to cult favorite Leon. The actress, 22, first came to international recognition in her acclaimed performance as an assassin's 11-year-old pal in the 1994 film, which starred Jean Reno in the lead role. And now Natalie has confirmed the long-awaited sequel is ready to roll, and she can't wait to be involved - despite needing a break following years working on the Star Wars trilogy. She says, "The script's really great, and worth delaying a vacation for."
~IMDB.com
Take it with a grain of salt, considering the source.
Leon is my favorite film and it's a strong #1 in it's category, personally. I love the story, the cinematography, and the characters......I think it's a masterpiece b/c it has it all. Nikita was real good IMO and you can't blame Luc for the Point Of No Return remake. He only directed Leon, Nikita, and The Fifith Element while he only co wrote and co produced The Transporter.
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaUmm...
Portman Agrees To 'Leon' Sequel
Movie beauty Natalie Portman is keen to reprise her debut film role in a sequel to cult favorite Leon. The actress, 22, first came to international recognition in her acclaimed performance as an assassin's 11-year-old pal in the 1994 film, which starred Jean Reno in the lead role. And now Natalie has confirmed the long-awaited sequel is ready to roll, and she can't wait to be involved - despite needing a break following years working on the Star Wars trilogy. She says, "The script's really great, and worth delaying a vacation for."
Oy, I am not sure how this will go since I have a love for the original Leon. Luc obviously need to direct this sequel himself. I think Portman's acting in Star Wars was lame while she really shined in Leon at the age of 13.
Quote from: freakerdudeOy
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flimpiei.blig.ig.com.br%2Fimagens%2Fcharmandel.jpg&hash=00657be35f1249ec4be7a4567b48f0b5a550f780) Oi!
vey.
Quote from: freakerdudeI think Portman's acting in Star Wars was lame while she really shined in Leon at the age of 13.
That may not necessarily be her fault though. I think she's a good actress overall and yes her deliveries in the Star Wars prequels are often clunky but so is everyone else's. It's the scripts. Though I haven't seen it, a lot of people raved about Hayden Christensen in Shattered Glass. But from Attack of the Clones, you'd think he was the second coming of Freddie Prinze Jr.
If Besson hasn't become too "Americanized" in the last few years, being that his films still retain a European feel (at least, as far as an ugly American like myself is concerned... maybe I should say a non-American feel), I think that we'll have nothing to worry about with the Leon follow-up (would it be called Mathilda in the US or The Professional II?).
I guess I can't judge her on SW Attack/Clones. You are right, the scripts were lacking and thus the character. And they all pretty much sucked in that flopper.
Who knows what could happen with this new movie? Maybe she'll become the new Professional with Leon's help. I sure have my fingers crossed that he'll do it right.
one of my favorite part in 5th element in when zorg is displaying the super cool gun.
Zorg: Voila: the ZF-1. It's light. Handle's adjustable for easy carrying; good for righties and lefties. Breaks down into 4 parts, undetectable by x-ray; ideal for quick, discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Three thousand round clip with bursts of 3 to 300. With the Replay button (another Zorg invention) it's even easier. One shot, and Replay sends every following shot to the same location. And to finish the job, all the Zorg oldies but goldies. Rocket launcher. Arrow launcher, with explodin' and poisonous gas heads. Very practical. Our famous net launcher. The ALWAYS efficient flame-thrower. My favorite. And for the Grand Finale, the all new "Ice Cube System."
luc used to draw and write about the stuff you see in fifth element when he was a kid. this movie is straight out of kid's imgination. i think that's just awsome.
Besson Enslaves the "Ice People"
French film director Luc Besson is a busy man not just within his homeland, as after producing many big Hollywood pictures he's finally getting back into directing them again it seems.
Like James Cameron's upcoming sci-fi movie, many have been speculating on what major property Besson has been developing recently. Today IESB reports that he is looking into developing "La nuit des Temps" (aka. "The Ice People"), the 1968 French sci-fi novel described as a retelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet myth with a scifi twist. Production would begin in August.
Here's a synopsis: "While excavating in Antartica (the South Pole), a team of scientists discover a signal buried deep within the ice of a glacier. The depth is at least 1000 meters so specialists from around the world come to help unearth the findings. Rumors of ruins of an ancient civilization floods the airwaves. At last, two bodies are found frozen in perfect hibernation within a sphere. They are at least 900,000 years old and come from a very advanced society. However, humanity hesitates and ponders the consequences of bringing these ancients back to life, "must one leave them their hibernation?" The technology found is far surpassed anything the scientists have seen.
They decide the woman will be resurrected first. But concerns arise when she does not speak any known language and will most likely die of starvation because she cannot eat any of their food. The world's best computers are put in the service of the translator in order to understand her. Through a machine of her civilization she is able to show the world images recorded in her brain and her people's history. As a result her love affair with Paikan and the events which brought them to their final resting place will be broadcast as well"
Moviehole also reports that Besson is attached to direct the female 007 style spy action thriller "Semper Occultus" which has Jason Statham & Jet Li attached. The story is set around Paris, London and South Africa.
according to (a very insane) Courtney Love she won the part of Lady MacBeth in a now-defunct Luc Besson version of the story.
Besson taps Madonna for 'Arthur' cast
Source: Hollywood Reporter
PARIS -- Madonna will head the voice cast of the big-budget CGI-animated "Arthur," directed by Luc Besson, which the director's Europa Corp. also is producing, sources close to the movie confirmed Thursday.
CAA, which represents Madonna, separately confirmed the deal Thursday .
"Arthur" is adapted from a series of children's books written by Besson, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. Ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from developers, goes in search of treasure hidden in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in harmony with nature.
The film, scheduled for a 2006 release, will include some live-action sequences. The 3-D animation is being crafted by French specialist Buf Compagnie.
Madonna is understood to be voicing the part of Princess Selenia, a character who travels with Arthur to a mysterious forbidden city where an evil being dwells. "The recording is being done at the moment," a production source said. Europa also is in the process of casting a major male star in the movie but could not give details at press time.
The English-language movie, which is in production at Europa's studios north of Paris, is budgeted at €65 million ($80 million), making it one of the most expensive films ever to qualify as French under the country's subsidy system. It also is by far the most ambitious project tackled by Europa, whose movies until now have rarely topped $20 million.
Europa is financing "Arthur" through its own funds, Gallic subsidies and international presales, with one top-flight U.S. distributor said to be circling the project. Europa is handling international sales on the title. French network TF1 and pay channel Canal Plus have already prebought the film for a total of €7 million ($9 million).
"Arthur" will be the first film directed by Besson since "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" five years ago. Besson also is working on a parallel live-action project, which he has written but which remains a closely guarded secret.
Europa is producing the heist picture "Revolver," starring Jason Statham and Ray Liotta and directed by Guy Ritchie, Madonna's husband.
The company also is shooting the $40 million "Bandidas" in Mexico, starring Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek, co-financed by 20th Century Fox, which is releasing the movie in America.
Quote from: MacGuffinBesson taps Madonna
What director hasn't?
Oh Snip!
Specs and Artwork for Leon and Fifth Element SEs (http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1&c=5164&n=1&burl=)
Judging by the cover, The Fifth Element is now a musical.
Arriving early next year in two-disc special edition form will be The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich, and Leon which stars Jean Reno and Natalie Portman. Both will be available to own from the 11th January for around $24.96 each. The Fifth Element will receive a high definition anamorphic widescreen transfer along with both English Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS tracks. Extras will include a Star Element featurette, a Visual Element featurette, a Digital Element featurette, an Alien Element featurette and a Fashion Element featurette. Completing the set will be camera, costume and set tests, a feature length fact track and more. The special edition of Leon will also include a wealth of new extra material, along with the unrated international version of the movie in a Superbit™ presentation. Extras will include a new ten year reunion featurette entitled The Professional, a Trial by Fire: Natalie Portman As Mathilda featurette, a full length Leon fact track, a Birth of a Star: Jean Reno As Leon featurette and more.
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Quote from: RegularKarateQuote from: MacGuffinBesson taps Madonna
What director hasn't?
Oh Snip!
haha, i don't normally suck dick, but that was good.
Reading Ravi's post up there, I realized that I've owned more copies of Leon/The Professional than any other film. I bought the VHS when it first came out, then the widescreen VHS, then the DVD, then the international version DVD. I don't know if I'll get this new one -- if I hear the extra features are worthwhile, I might pick it up. The cover is cool.
I don't think I could stomach buying that 5th Element DVD though -- that cover art is atrocious.
Quote from: GhostboyI don't think I could stomach buying that 5th Element DVD though -- that cover art is atrocious.
assholes will dig it..
Besson to Direct Paris 2012 Promotion
Luc Besson will direct a video promoting the Paris bid for the 2012 Olympics. The French filmmaker's short clip will be shown during Paris' official presentation to the International Olympic Committee, Paris bid member Arnaud Lagardere told RTL radio Friday.
The 46-year-old Besson directed "The Fifth Element" "The Professional" and "La Femme Nikita" He is working on a computer-animated version of his children's book, "Arthur and the Minimoys."
Paris is competing against London, Moscow, New York and Madrid, Spain, for the Olympics. After each city makes its official presentation on July 6 in Singapore, IOC members will vote on a winner.
So this new jet li movie "Unleashed" was written by but not directed by Luc?
Farrow on Besson Pic
Mia Farrow and Finding Neverland's Freddie Highmore to star in Luc Besson's 3D, live-action feature Arthur.
Source: FilmStew.com
Filmmaker Luc Besson has signed Mia Farrow and Finding Neverland's Freddie Highmore to star in the feature Arthur, a 3D and live-action, English-language children's project that marks his first gig behind the camera since 1999. Shooting on the project began in Normandy on Monday, with the French countryside playing the role of New York state.
In the film, Highmore stars as Arthur, a young boy who turns to the help of the Minimoys, a group of pixie-like creatures, to help him save his grandfather's house from demolition. Farrow will play Arthur's mom, with Madonna, Snoop Dogg and David Bowie attached to provide the voices of the animated characters.
Besson adapted the material from his own line of successful children's books. The first book in the series was just released in the U.S. by Harper Collins. The film version, according to Daily Variety, is being eyed for the Cannes 2006 line up.
Besson last directed Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. His more recent writing credits include Unleashed and a draft of the Queen Latifah/Jimmy Fallon starring Taxi, which was a remake of a French film.
Besson pushing on with 'Minimoys'
CANNES -- French director Luc Besson plans a second and third installment of his big-budget 3-D animation/live action movie "Arthur and the Minimoys" through his company Europa Corp., sources said Friday. The first movie is scheduled for release in December. Budgeted at about $80 million, the film is the most costly European animation ever by some margin. Besson has had a vast team of animators working on the picture for several years. The Weinstein Co. recently picked up all rights in English-speaking territories on the first title and is understood to have an option to acquire rights on the sequels, scheduled to go into production in the fall. The first film recounts how a 10-year-old named Arthur falls into the secret world of the Minimoys, where he meets Princess Selenia and her brother, who help him on a mission to save his grandmother.
Luc Besson talks Leon sequel
Source: Moviehole
There have been rumours. There's been talk. There's even been offers. But none of the matters, says Luc Besson, he's got no plans to do a sequel to his timeless hitman hit "Leon".
According to PR Inside, Besson says he's received numerous offers from screenwriters hoping to write the follow-up to the film – which starred Jean Reno and Natalie Portman as a kindly assassin, and a young orphan, respectively – but he's just not interested. And even more, it's not their sequel to write.
"People say 'Oh, I've written the sequel - here! I'll send you the script.' And I basically send a lawyer and say 'F*** you! It's not yours'. It's not love. It's stealing. These guys are just thieves that's all"
If he changes his mind in the future, Besson says he won't be hiring anyone to pen the follow-up. "If we do a sequel, I will write the sequel. I don't need anyone."
Natalie Portman seems to be the only one that's semi-keen to do a sequel to the film that set her career on fire. Talking to Moviehole last year, the actress said, "I'd jump at the chance". It was revealed that a UK based writer had recently written a spec outline for a sequel and she has had a chat about it, with the writer, but that's as far as it's gotten – and from the sounds of it, will get, based on Besson's comments.
The long goodbye
France's most successful living director is retiring from film-making. It's a young man's game, Luc Besson, 47, explains to Xan Brooks
Source: The Guardian
The Luc Besson leaving do is a quiet affair. Tea and water are the only drinks on offer, and the sole guest in attendance is me. It is a curious experience: a case of hello and goodbye, welcome back and sayonara. On the one hand, Besson is in town to plug the two films he will be unveiling in 2006. On the other, he is here to discuss his imminent retirement. I feel as though I should have brought along a carriage clock.
A few years ago, France's most successful living director announced his intention to quit while he was ahead. He would, he said, make 10 films and then get out of the game. At the time few people took him seriously. But with Angel-A (out this month) and Arthur and the Minimoys (set for release at Christmas), he has reached his limit. He says cinema is a young art form and he has now outgrown it. He takes his kids to the pictures and their schoolmates have only the foggiest idea who he is. He sips his tea with a world-weary air. At the age of 47, Besson manages a fair impression of a jaundiced old fogey with one foot on the golf course.
"Ten is a good number," he explains. "If you have 10 bullets you are much more careful about what you shoot. And I would rather stop too soon than too late. I've seen so many directors make a few too many films, and it's sad. So a few years ago I said, 'I wish I could make 10 films that I'm proud of.'" He shrugs. "If you make 10 films and you like them, it's not so bad, no?"
It is significant he uses the criteria of personal pride as opposed to worldwide acclaim. The director may bridle at being described as an auteur - seeing it as symptomatic of all that is wrong with French cinema - but that's precisely what he is. For all their populist leanings his films stand as flamboyant personal expressions, from the stylised action of Nikita and Leon to the exotic sci-fi fantasies of The Fifth Element. Even his most high-profile misfire, 1999's Joan of Arc, is an oddly endearing calamity: a lavish jumble of clashing accents and historical anachronism that led critics to re-christen it 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. Like it or loathe it, it could have been made by no one else.
I fear that he may have similarly shot himself in the foot with Angel-A, an indulgent redemption song about a small-time hustler who is rescued from suicide by his guardian angel. One might describe it as Besson's remake of It's a Wonderful Life, except the angel is a peroxide vamp who offers to solve the hero's money worries by prostituting herself in the nightclubs of Paris.
As played by newcomer Rie Rasmussen, Angela proves a very Bessonian figure: leggy and lippy, a grungy euro-chick with a heart of gold. She could be the younger cousin of Ann Parillaud in Nikita, or Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element. Parillaud, incidentally, was Besson's first wife; Jovovich his second.
You definitely have a type of woman you like, I tell him. But the director is having none of it. "Mathilda [in Léon] is 11 and dark. In The Fifth Element she's red-haired. Angela is super-tall and blonde. Isabelle Adjani [in Subway] is very bourgeois and Chanel, and Rosanna Arquette in The Big Blue is very natural. So, no. I always love the characters I create for different reasons, but I never try to describe the women I would fall in love with." He gives me a baleful stare. "I don't know where you are going with that question."
He is more comfortable talking about the film itself. Angel-A is a micro-budget, black-and-white production that darts around the Paris streets in the manner of A Bout de Souffle. Besson explains that he conceived the movie as an antidote - not just to the grand canvases of The Fifth Element and Joan of Arc but also to his lengthy preparatory work on Arthur and the Minimoys, an epic children's fantasy that blends live action with computer animation.
"That got a little frustrating," he admits. "As a director, I'm used to putting my hands on the engine. Talking, screaming. Then all of a sudden I'm spending three years sitting at a computer with a nerd and a mouse. And the nerd doesn't even say hi to you." Besson shakes his head. "He doesn't know who you are. He doesn't care. He's 17."
With an effort, the director puts these indignities behind him. "So it's true it made me envy the other way of making films. One actor, one actress, one camera: Go! This film is obviously smaller, shot in black-and-white, with unknown actors, and I know it's not going to beat The Fifth Element in terms of money. But I don't care. The logic is not to go bigger and bigger. The logic is to follow every road."
Much has been made of Besson's own road to the summit. He was raised in the resorts of Greece and Yugoslavia, where his parents worked as diving instructors for Club Med. Besson's ambition was to become a marine biologist. He only turned to film as a fallback plan, following a near-fatal diving accident in his late teens.
"I was never polluted by the world of cinema," he says. "I didn't even have a TV until I was 16. My expression is a reflection of the world I have seen, and in that world everyone was barefoot in bathing suits, following the order of the sea, the natural order of sunrise and sunset. I never went to the cinémathèque. I didn't know much about the masters of world cinema. A film like The Fifth Element is a reflection of my life as a young boy who was into Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, comic-books and Kurosawa." Yet what Besson sees as his strength, others regard as a failing. He has, by his own admission, never been a favourite of the French critics, who dismiss him as a cultural philistine, a peddler of homogenised produce for the multiplex crowd. Inevitably, it was The Fifth Element that served as a lightning-rod for these attacks. Besson shot the film in English, with an American (Bruce Willis) and a Brit (Gary Oldman) in the leading roles. When it went on to become the most commercially successful French production in history, many were quick to claim that it wasn't, in fact, French at all.
Besson shakes his head in bemusement. "It is a stupid argument, no? Look at the Van Gogh painting, Irises. Where does it come from? Van Gogh is from Holland. The irises are in a field in France. And the painting is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. So the specialists say, 'Oh hold on? What nationality is it?' Who cares? Just look at the painting."
He pours himself more tea and says he has no big plans for his retirement. More than anything he wants some time to spend with his friends and family. Film-making is such a demanding mistress, he laments. There are so many things it prevents you from doing. "You pay hard," he sighs. "It makes me sad, in a way."
Besson's sincerity almost has me convinced. It's just that the longer he talks, the busier this life of leisure turns out to be. He will still write screenplays, he admits. And of course, he will still produce. His company, EuropaCorp, is developing plans for a studio complex near Paris so, yes, he is also heavily involved in that.
The tea is drunk and Besson cracks. Out of the blue, he explains that he envisages The Minimoys as a trilogy along the lines of The Lord of the Rings, which naturally means he has a further two instalments to shoot. "And you know what?" he exclaims brightly. "Maybe in two years I will do another movie after all." I leave with the impression that the man is destined for as many comebacks as Frank Sinatra. On balance the carriage clock will have to wait.
he should change it to "10 good films", 47 is not that old.
Quote from: MacGuffin on July 24, 2006, 11:54:58 AM
"That got a little frustrating," he admits. "As a director, I'm used to putting my hands on the engine. Talking, screaming. Then all of a sudden I'm spending three years sitting at a computer with a nerd and a mouse. And the nerd doesn't even say hi to you." Besson shakes his head. "He doesn't know who you are. He doesn't care. He's 17."
HILARIOUS.
Luc Besson Says Latest Film His Last
Luc Besson, director of the "The Professional" and "The Fifth Element" says his latest movie will be his last. The French filmmaker said Monday that he intended to devote himself instead to civic projects, including starting a foundation to help youths in France's depressed inner cities.
Besson's 10th and last movie, "Arthur et les Minimoys," opens in France on Dec. 13.
"They are my 10 little babies," he told RTL radio. "I love them all. I am pleased to have completed this cycle. That is finished."
Besson, 47, said he was keen to try his hand at a whole array of new projects.
"I want to take a little care of my fellow citizens. I want to take a little care of my planet. I want to act in favor of the inner cities, in favor of the environment. I want to do lots of things," he said.
"I am trying to start a foundation. I want to help youths in the inner cities. I am very sensitive about all these youths. I find that they have incredible energy."
The director's other films include "The Big Blue" "Angel-A" and "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc"
Luc Besson Might Still Direct After All
Screen Daily caught up with Luc Besson to follow-up on the report which said that his last film as a director would be Arthur and the Invisibles.
Besson has now indicated he would reconsider going behind the camera if he finds, "a good script."
"I made 10 films and I never would have imagined being able to do that when I was young. It's the end of a cycle, that's certain. If I don't direct any more films, that's fine. I've said what I had to say. But, I am not an idiot. If someone shows me a good script, I'll direct it," he explained.
Besson also indicated that if Arthur and the Invisibles finds an audience he will begin work on adapting the second book, "Arthur and the Forbidden City," for the big screen with shooting starting as early as June, 2007.
Besson gets studio power
New facility will house nine sound stages, office building
Luc Besson has received the greenlight to convert a disused former power station on the outskirts of Paris into a e130 million ($166 million) film studio.
Local authorities in St. Denis, a suburb north of Paris, gave their approval on Thursday, two years after the project was submitted.
New facility, designated a project of national interest in 2004, will be centered on a 377,000 sq.-foot complex housing nine sound stages and an office building with 323,000 square feet of floor space where Besson's EuropaCorp and other companies will take up residence.
One of two power generators dating from 1933, which appears in Besson's films "Nikita" and "Leon," will be salvaged as part of the project, which is expected to take 18 months to two years to complete.
Thomson Technicolor and Tarak ben Ammar's Quinta Communications' announced at last year's Cannes Film Festival that they would partner with Besson in the studio, with Quinta's post-production facilities moving into office space there.
Besson tempted back for 'Forbidden' sequel
Source: Production Weekly
Luc Besson is reconsidering returning behind the camera despite a recent interview announcing his retirement from directing. If the adaptation of his novel "Arthur and the Minimoys" finds an audience he will begin work on adapting the second book, "Arthur And The Forbidden City," for the big screen with a shooting start date as early as June. The film will be released on December 13 in France and stars the voices of Madonna, Snoop Dogg and David Bowie for the English version and Mylene Farmer, Alain Bashung and Marc Lavoine in the French version.
The sequel continues the story of Arthur who's backyard looked like an ordinary garden—until he discovered the Minimoys and their vast world where fierce battles are fought, ferocious monsters are faced, and one evil wizard, Maltazard the Cursed, rules from his terrifying stronghold: Necropolis, the forbidden city. Now ten-year-old Arthur—magically transformed into a Minimoy—must help them find a way into this forbidden city in order to rescue Arthur's grandfather, recover a stolen treasure, and save the land of the Minimoys before it's too late.
Besson is also set to co-produce "Hitman," the feature version of Eidos Interactive's videogame franchise of the same name. Timothy Olyphant is attached to play an international assassin known as Agent 47 who works for a mysterious organization dubbed the Agency.
EXCL: Luc Besson on B13 Sequel, Taken
Source: ComingSoon
Prolific French filmmaker Luc Besson has gone on record that his upcoming kids' flick Arthur and the Invisibles will be his last film as a director (either that or the sequel, depending on how the first movie does). Although the half-animated film took five years to produce, he's kept busy with his production company, while writing other films.
Last year, he co-wrote and produced the cult action film District B13, and when ComingSoon.net sat down to talk to him, he surprised us with the news that he's writing a sequel. It all started with an innocent question about when he decides that it's right to do a sequel to a movie. "It's about the feeling," he told us. "There's some film where you like the cast, you like the characters and you want to see them again. For example, 'The Transporter,' we love this guy, you want to see this guy again. The rule is we will see him again if we have a good story. If we don't have a good story, there's no film. We're not here to just take the money and run. 'B13' I want to do the sequel to, I love the two characters, and there's the room to do another one. I have the idea then I think we're going to make it."
We wondered whether District B13 director Pierre Morel, who is a very in-demand DP after shooting The Transporter and Unleashed, would helm the sequel as well, to which Besson mentioned another new project. "I will propose to him, but now he's going to direct a film for me called 'Taken,' something I wrote. Liam Neeson is going to have the first part. It's a great, great film." He also said there's likely to be some more action for Neeson in the film, something the actor has experience with after appearing in Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace and Batman Begins.
Before we were whisked away, we also asked whether he has an idea for another "Transporter" movie somewhere in that busy mind of his, since Jason Statham had previously told us he was up for it. "If we get a good idea, it's with pleasure. Jason is lovely, and the character is great, I love the character. He's cool, he doesn't talk so much, he's low-profile, he doesn't want to show off too much. For me, he's the new cool James Bond."
Arthur and the Invisibles opens everywhere on Friday, January 12. Look for our full exclusive interview with Mr. Besson sometime before then.
Besson creates free 'Boomerang'
Arthus-Bertrand directs green pic
Source: Variety
Luc Besson has teamed with Yann Arthus-Bertrand to make an environmentally themed feature film, "Boomerang."
In an unusual move, the pic, which starts shooting in Brazil next week, will be available for distribution free of charge, once backers have recouped their investment in the film plus 10%, Bertrand said at Mip TV on Tuesday.
Film will be co-produced by French indie shingle Elzevir Prods ("Live and Become") and Besson's Europacorp, with coin from France 2.
"It's never been done in the film industry before, it's a bit complicated, but the idea is to make the film freely available so that as many people as possible will be able to see it," said Arthus-Bertrand, who received Mip TV's inaugural Green Award on Tuesday.
The Gallic photographer, best known for his aerial shots of Earth published in the bestseller "Earth From Above," is in Cannes this week to promote the international rollout of an eight-part TV series based on the same concept, being sold by France Televisions Distribution.
"Boomerang" will shoot in 60 countries and is slated for delivery next year. Principal photography begins next week on a soy plantation in Brazil, where rainforests are being destroyed to grow crops to feed livestock in the developed world, Arthus-Bertrand said.
"The Earth's problems are all interlinked, and the film will be a reflection on that," he said. "We are going to shoot in the most beautiful places in the world."
The green campaigner has a number of other irons in the fire, including a Web site on the latest environmental info, goodplanetinfo.com, being put together with the help of American and European universities.
"Scientific information is out there, but it is hard to locate," said Bertrand, who added he is in talks with Google about the site, which will launch in January.
Besson buys 'Aventures' rights
Graphic novel to be next franchise
Source: Variety
Eyeing its next movie franchise, Luc Besson's EuropaCorp has inked with Gallic graphic novel publisher Casterman for the bigscreen adaptation rights to Jacques Tardi's classic comicbook series "Aventures Extraordinaires d'Adele Blanc-Sec."
EuropaCorp plans a three-movie bigscreen transition, the first being skedded for delivery in 2009.
EuropaCorp will also produce "From Paris With Love," the next feature from longtime collaborator Pierre Morel, whose latest film with EuropaCorp, the Liam Neeson starrer "Taken," hits French theaters next month.
Published since 1976, with nine novels to date, "Aventures" is set between 1911 and 1922 in a Paris traumatized by World War I. Their heroine, Adele Blanc-Sec, a fetching popular novelist pursued by dumb cops, monsters, rancorous villains and wannabe lovers, is sometimes taken as an early feminist figure in French comic books.
Graphic novels hold a special place in French culture -- where some auteurs are venerated -- and in EuropaCorp's heart.
EuropaCorp's acquisition of the rights to "Aventures" follows its purchase of a stake last July in Septieme Choc, a graphic novel publishing house aimed at encouraging work by young artists from underprivileged areas.
The first titles, including Dikeuss' "Les banlieuZards," are published this month.
Exclusive - Luc Besson and Sci-Fi Fans Rejoice!
Source: Collider
Not every one knows the name "Luc Besson". But you know his work: "La Femme Nikita", "The Professional", "The Fifth Element". You know he's the goods.
And while many directors may want to revisit a genre where they've turned in great work, Besson has been rather silent as a director over the past decade and has only directed three films since "Element" and none of them were science-fiction.
But with his involvement in the two sequels to 2006's "Arthur and the Invisibles" wrapping up, Luc told me that he's finally going to start work on the sci-fi flick he told me about last year.
Flashback to last year: At the press junket for his movie "Angel-A", Luc told me he had an idea for a new sci-fi movie and it might be a trilogy.
When I asked him when he might make it, he said, "Not before two or three years. I got an idea, I think." He also revealed that he wanted to make "The Fifth Element" as a trilogy but the producer "didn't have the guts." As a big fan of that movie, that news was painful.
Flash forward to the present day: I go to cover the press junket for "Transporter 3" (which Besson produced), and I had only one thing on my mind: his plans for that sci-fi flick.
Thankfully, Luc remembered who I was and as we walked from the press conference to the elevators, we talked about the project. While he wouldn't tell me what his sci-fi movie would be about, he did confirm that he's going to be working on it next year! He gave me the sense that come 2009 he's going to sit down, write it out, and see where the idea goes.
Granted, plans change and priorities get shifted, but Luc's been talking about this project for a while and it looks like he's finally returning to sci-fi!
Below you can read Luc's future plans for this flick in his own words.
I'll be sure to provide any updates as I get them.
Collider: When I spoke to you at "Angel A", one of the things you mentioned to me was that you wanted to work on another sci-fi kind of movie, that you had an idea...and I know you're doing Arthur right now, but how is the idea from two years ago...do you still have something?
Luc Besson: Next year.
Collider: Really?
Luc: yeah. It's long too.
Collider: You mentioned to me back then that you were thinking of doing a trilogy.
Luc: Yeah.
Collider: So is that still the plan and the same idea? And when do you think you're getting started?
Luc: Next year.
Collider: Is it going to be a part one or is it a self contained movie with the possibility of doing more?
Luc: Honestly, right now, I'm all about the characters and I didn't divide yet....it's a big story, I'll see later.
Collider: Do you envision doing it as part of a studio system kind of movie or doing it in France?
Luc: I'm not there yet. First is the story. Characters, story. And when it's good and ready you always find people who like it.
Collider: You mentioned the second and third Arthur movies...so how are those coming along?
Luc: It's done. I still have 3D work on them but the shooting is done. I shot 2 and 3 last summer and we're still working on the 3D. You have 11 layers of work on 3-D and I'm at layer 4. I still have 7 layers to do.
Luc Besson To Direct Massive Sci-Fi Film To Be Released In 2013-14, Described As 'The Fifth Element' To The Power Of 10
Source: The Playlist
Is Luc Besson deigning to come down from conceptualist impresario mountain and get his hands dirty once more? As a director, Besson helms films fairly infrequently these days, choosing instead to conceive them and hand them off to others; he's created a veritable cottage industry of action films both in France and in the U.S. Between 1999 and 2010, he's made only four pictures and arguably "Arthur and the Invisibles" doesn't count since no adults saw it. We're being harsh and flip, but as a producer/writer Besson has been incredibly busy. In the same time period, he's had a hand in twenty two screenplays, and as a producer he's been involved in 42 films, many of them born from his original idea --"The Transporter" series with Jason Statham is his original concept, as is the "District 13" series and the "Taken" revenge film with Liam Neeson that became a huge surprise hit in the winter of 2008. The recently announced sci-fi film, "Lockout" with Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace is another of his creations, as is "Columbiana" with Zoe Saldana which appears to be his workaround for a "The Professional" sequel. But what Besson generally does is come up with these concepts, co-write them and then hand them off to some talented young director --he's made people like Pierre Morel, Louis Leterrier, Patrick Alessandrin, and Olivier Megaton into relative house-hold names for the action set or at least those in Hollywood looking for directors for hire. It's been reported that his next directing gig would be a untitled love story, but according to an interview with Fantasy.Fr (via Coming Soon) he's working on a new sci-fi film that would be " 'The Fifth Element' [to the] Power 10. " It appears he's been inspired by "Avatar" and James Cameron's 3D work as well. "When I did 'The Fifth Element,' I already had the technological tools that were a little outdated, "he said. "With the advent of digital technology, it is amazing what you can do. The technique has caught the imagination. One can imagine anything, there will always technicians to follow you in your delusion. " Evidently pre-production will begin in 2011 and according to the director production could start in 2012 and 2013, "because it will be very, very big." Besson's next picture is "The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec" which still hasn't been scheduled for a U.S. release yet.
Quote from: MacGuffin on October 13, 2010, 01:22:09 PM
Described As 'The Fifth Element' To The Power Of 10
so.. The nine million seven hundred and sixty-five thousand six hundred and twenty-Fifth Element.
i think that's unobtanium.
hahaa :bravo:
Angelina Jolie and Luc Besson Thriller Lands at Universal
The studio acquired North American rights to the untitled project from the "Fifth Element" director.
Source: THR
Universal has picked up North American rights to the untitled Angelina Jolie-Luc Besson drama.
Jolie will star in the project, which is described as a "dramatic thriller with action."and is said to be a cross between Besson's own much-admired movies The Professional and The Fifth Element. Besson wrote the screenplay for the new project and will produce and direct.
The studio is touting this as Besson's return to the genre in which he made his name.
Universal picked up 80 percent of worldwide distribution rights to the project, which answers the question of what movie Jolie will do next.
The actress, who has her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey opening Dec. 23, has several projects vying for her attention. The high-profile ones include a biopic of Gertrude Bell and Scarpetta, the latter which is set up at Fox. Universal has been tracking the development of the Bell biopic, which has Ridley Scott attached to direct, and is hoping to land it.
The new movie will begin shooting April 2012 in Paris.
Luc Besson Directing Robert De Niro In Gangster Thriller 'Malavita'
Source: Playlist
Man, Luc Besson really didn't take to retirement, did he? While his collaboration with Angelina Jolie seemingly never came to pass, Besson recently turned to a stack of scripts he's written in a co-financing partnership between Besson's EuroCorp and Relativity Pictures, getting support for two new Besson-ian efforts.
The first and most prominent, "Malavita," finds Robert De Niro starring as a former gangster now living in Normandy with his family under Witness Protection. Naturally, things don't go well, as the project is described as a gangster thriller. It's based on the book "Badfellas" from Tonino Benacquista, and various synopses describe the material as being light, and more in-tune with "The Sopranos." Though we hope the scene where the protagonist is invivted to host a library film screening of "Goodfellas" doesn't make the final cut. Because, c'mon. The film begins shooting August 14th.
The other script, which Besson has no intentions to direct as of yet, is "Three Days To Kill," from Besson and co-writer Adi Hasak. While they're only using a working title thus far, with no synopsis, it's being compared to the Besson-produced "Taken" only with "lots of humor." Because if there's anything the my-daughter-is-sold-to-a-sex-trafficking-ring story is missing is some laffs! [Variety]
Scarlett Johansson to Star in Luc Besson's Latest Action Movie (Exclusive)
Besson wrote the script and will direct the feature project, which is titled "Lucy."
Source: THR
Luc Besson, the French director with a penchant for putting women front and center in his action movies, has found his next leading lady.
Scarlett Johansson is in final negotiations to star in Besson's latest helming effort, the action-thriller Lucy. Universal has taken worldwide distribution rights with the exception of France, Benelux and China.
Besson wrote the script for Lucy, which centers on a woman forced to become a drug mule. But the drug instead goes into her system, transforming her into an ass-kicking machine. She can absorb knowledge instantaneously, is able to move objects with her mind and can't feel pain and other discomforts.
Besson will produce with his EuropaCorp CEO Christophe Lambert.
Thanks to the success of the Taken movies, EuropaCorp has been expanding its English-language operations and recently hired veteran production executive and producer Lisa Ellzey to join its Los Angeles offices. The Paris-based production and distribution entity, which is publicly traded, has been on a tear of late. It announced a 61 percent revenue increase in year-over-year revenue to $48.7 million when it released its quarterly results in February.
Lucy brings Besson back to his 1990s heyday, when he made movies with strong heroines such as La Femme Nikita and Joan of Arc as well as, to a lesser extent, The Professional and The Fifth Element. He most recently wrapped the Mafia drama Malavita, which stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones; the movie will be distributed by Relativity later this year.
The deal keeps Johansson in the action game. The actress, known for her turn as butt-kicking operative Black Widow in the Marvel movies The Avengers and Iron Man 2, would shoot Lucy after wrapping Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which she is filming.