Favreau to Play "Cowboys & Aliens"
Source: Variety
"Iron Man 2" is in the can, and now director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. might want to play "Cowboys & Aliens."
Favreau is circling the DreamWorks/Universal project, which has had Downey attached since last summer. Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are producing with Steven Spielberg, Platinum Studios CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.
A summer 2010 production start is eyed. DreamWorks and Universal will co-finance, and Paramount could opt in as distributor, through the exit agreement that Stacey Snider and Spielberg when they moved DreamWorks out of Paramount.
Kurtzman and Orci are rewriting the script with "Lost" exec producer Damon Lindeloff. The trio scripted "Star Trek 2."
The film is set in the Old West, where cowboys and Native Americans battle in Arizona, until a space ship crashes and a new enemy emerges, equipped with superior technology. " Cowboys & Aliens" is based on the Platinum Studios Comics graphic novel written by Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley.
That graphic novel was published in 2006, but Hollywood has been hot for the high concept project since the movie was first acquired by Universal and DreamWorks in 1997. That sale was made based on a one-sheet of a cowboy and a space ship, with Steve Oedekerk aboard to write and direct. The project subsequently moved to Columbia Pictures and Escape Artists, and then back to U and DreamWorks, and the script has been through at least seven writers or writer teams.
Favreau and Downey will work together again on "Iron Man 3," which likely will be distributed by Paramount Pictures in its multi-picture deal with Marvel Entertainment, despite Marvel's $4 billion acquisition by Disney. "Iron Man 2" bows May 10, 2010.
Quote from: MacGuffin on September 01, 2009, 10:39:25 PM
That sale was made based on a one-sheet of a cowboy and a space ship, with Steve Oedekerk aboard to write and direct.
It's a shame that never came to fruition. But we can always imagine....
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi35.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fd179%2Fpolkablues%2Fcowboysaliens.jpg&hash=255529cebbdeafb41d1e880d574a57de22f70e1c)
Daniel Craig eyeing 'Cowboys and Aliens'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Daniel Craig might be putting on the Stetson left behind by Robert Downey Jr. in DreamWorks' "Cowboys and Aliens," being directed by Jon Favreau.
While in the very early stages, Craig is in talks and has the offer to play a gunslinger in the sci-fi Western, which explores what would happen if the traditional Old West enemies -- cowboys and Native Americans -- found the prairie attacked by aliens in mid-1800s Arizona. The gunslinger named Jake is the one who leads the human revolt. Whether Craig dons an American accent for the part remains to be seen
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing and wrote the script with "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are also producing.
DreamWorks is intent on shooting the film this year with an eye toward a 2011 release, and Downey dropped out last week due to scheduling issues. Among his offerings are potential sequels to "Sherlock Holmes" and a third "Iron Man" movie.
DreamWorks has a soft spot for the CAA-repped Craig. The actor starred in Steven Spielberg's "Munich" and plays a pirate in "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn," which Spielberg directed.
Favreau enters Disney's 'Magic Kingdom'
'Iron Man' helmer to develop family feature for studio
Source: Variety
Disney has handed the keys to "The Magic Kingdom" to Jon Fav-reau.
The director will take the lead in developing the project, which is essentially the Mouse House's answer to Fox's "Night at the Museum" franchise.
As first reported by Daily Variety, Disney has been looking at creative ways to turn Disneyland into the setting for a family feature, similar to how the company has adapted individual theme park rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and the Jungle Cruise or an entire area of the park in the case of Tomorrowland.
The studio recently decided to shelve a script by Ronald Moore ("Battlestar Galactica"), based on his own pitch. A new writer will soon be hired to tackle a new idea that Favreau will help hatch.
Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce through their Universal-based shingle. Duo is readying to lense Andrew Niccol's "Now," a sci-fi thriller for New Regency and Fox.
Disney said the studio will take its time with the project as it will need to carefully address how its iconic characters and rides, let alone the overall image of the park, are handled for the bigscreen.
The company has visited the concept before, through Hyperion, which publishes Ridley Pearson's similar-sounding kidlit series, "Kingdom Keepers," in which a group of Florida teens are transformed into holographic guides at Disney World and battle Sleeping Beauty's evil queen Maleficent as the park's characters come to life.
Favreau is already busy prepping for "Iron Man 3," which he will direct for Disney-based Marvel for summer 2013. He recently wrapped "Cowboys and Aliens" for DreamWorks and Universal.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/12/confirmed-favreau-wont-helm-iron-man-3/
Confirmed: Favreau Won't Helm 'Iron Man 3'
By NIKKI FINKE | Tuesday December 14, 2010 @ 2:50pm
Insiders close to Marvel and Robert Downey Jr, who has director approval on Iron Man 3, confirm that Jon Favreau won't direct this next installment of the franchise. Granted there's no script yet. And few helmers do what Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) and Gore Verbinski (Pirates Of The Caribbean) did: stick around for a trilogy. Favreau just wrapped Cowboys & Aliens and is about to embark on Disney's Magic Kingdom and "is excited about the opportunity to go do his own thing" while Kevin Feige as the ultimate custodian of Marvel's Iron Man franchise "sees it as an opportunity to bring some more fire to the franchise". Favreau is still on board to exec produce The Avengers which Joss Whedon is directing. Favreau just negotiated a Disney development deal but the director had been expected to re-team with RDJr for the third Iron Man, one of the Marvel films bought out from Paramount so Disney could distribute. Vulture got there first.
Saw it coming, but still... good for him.
It's too early for him to shoot himself in the foot with a third.
Ratner'll do it. When it happens, everyone remember that I called it first.
Quote from: polkablues on December 16, 2010, 07:48:22 PM
Ratner'll do it. When it happens, everyone remember that I called it first.
When Ratner picks up a #3 turd that someone else dropped, does it really count as "calling it" anymore?
hey ratner's version's gonna be kinda mediocre but he'll talk a lot of shit. called it.
Ratner's a sloppy, fat fuck. called it.
Swingers was good, but Made was unfunny and poorly scripted/shot. I still don't know or care wtf it was about.
Ratner is going to direct Made Swingers. Book it.
Jon Favreau Cooks Up Indie 'Chef' as Next Project (EXCLUSIVE)
Multihyphenate would write, direct and star in film
Source: Variety
After a handful of studio blockbusters, Jon Favreau may be looking to take on a smaller scale film with the indie comedy "Chef."
Favreau is still in talks with financiers and talent to join the project but if deals with both parties close, Favreau would write, direct and star in the project.
The plot details are vague but sources say the film would be set in a Los Angeles-based restaurant run by a emotional chef that Favreau would play.
Favreau has acted in a handful of supporting roles recently but hasn't helmed a pic since 2011′s "Cowboys & Aliens." Though Favreau has been concentrating on big-budget fare like the first two "Iron Man" pics but this project would be the smallest film he's helmed since "Made" in 2001.
"Made" was also the last time he directed and starred in a pic, though he had small roles in both "Iron Man" pics and "Elf."
Favreau is repped by CAA and can be seen acting next in "Iron Man 3″ as well as the Martin Scorsese pic "The Wolf of Wall Street" which bows in November. He had been developing "Magic Kingdom" for Disney and was attached to direct "Jersey Boys" for GK Films and Warner Bros. but left the project when it could not get a greenlight from the studio.
Did anyone watch Chef? I was kinda impressed. It's like a very contemporary update to the 90s genre of 'busy dad becomes a real father' comedy drama sort of thing but with way more swearing. I'm glad that Favreau made something so singular and driven for himself. It's cliched and conventional, with rushed emotional beats but it was pleasing. There are some moments where Favreau vaguely reminded me of Louis CK too.
Pretty tasty food porn stuff as well.
It's enjoyable, but it's just so perfunctory. It has the narrative momentum of a tour bus. That said, they clearly had a fun time making it, and that translates onscreen.
Quote from: Lottery on January 19, 2016, 07:34:01 PM
There are some moments where Favreau vaguely reminded me of Louis CK too.
YES.
I think that's what kept me in the movie at the beginning, especially his self-aware, sad and pathetic face while watching the Dancing Skeleton marionette on the street. Would I like it as much if I wasn't a CK guy who saw this?? Possibly. There's something about that attitude, man.
It got a bit cheesy at parts, but it oddly enough felt LESS commercial than some of his more recent films, even with Twitter popping up onscreen as a storytelling device.
Quote from: polkablues on January 19, 2016, 07:44:18 PM
it's just so perfunctory. It has the narrative momentum of a tour bus.
What a perfect word to describe it. I like Jon Favreau and was willing to go wherever he'd take us, but once they hit the road, it's like "This movie is OVER!" I was really disappointed in their making Cubano sandwiches the central focus of the menu. I've always thought it was one of the ridiculously simple sandwiches to make ( in terms of ingredients, seems like a lot goes into the pork ) and I find it hard to believe that everyone across America would be raving over them, as if it's such a rarity to find. I was hoping he'd specialize in more 'fusion' cuisine like we've been seeing more and more in food trucks these days. That kind of stuff, I could watch people make forever. There just didn't seem to be a lot of heart in the cooking. I wanted Favreau to throw in some recipe he whipped up in his kitchen late one night, and see THAT take off. Just to make it more interesting, even if not very believable.
This movie also proves my theory that John Leguizamo can ruin anything simply by showing his face