Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => The Vault => Topic started by: Pozer on January 18, 2012, 09:09:27 PM

Title: The Counselor
Post by: Pozer on January 18, 2012, 09:09:27 PM
this is :multi:-ing ...

Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Cormac McCarthy Sells His First Spec Script
www.deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: While Cormac McCarthy's novels have been turned into No Country For Old Men, The Road and All the Pretty Horses, he's left the film adaptations to others. McCarthy has surprised everybody by writing his first spec screenplay. Nick Wechsler, Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, the producing trio behind the adaptation of McCarthy's Pulitzer Prize-winner The Road, have just closed a deal to take The Counselor off the table with a preemptive acquisition.

The terrain of the script is reminiscent of the rough and tumble world depicted in No Country For Old Men. The protagonist in The Counselor is a respected lawyer who thinks he can dip a toe in to the drug business without getting sucked down. It is a bad decision and he tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation. While McCarthy's ICM agents Binky Urban and Ron Bernstein were expecting McCarthy to deliver his next novel, he instead surprised them with the spec script before returning to the book. The producers moved quickly and spent their own money to buy it in a sizable deal. They tell me they will go looking for a filmmaker as they talk to financiers.

"The spec falls smack in the middle of what everyone responds to with Cormac's novels," Wechsler said. Steve Schwartz told me: "Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It's a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy's wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy's most disturbing and powerful works." The script is contemporary, and set in the Southwest.

Wechsler and the Schwartz's are prepping The Host, the adaptation of Twilight Saga author Stephenie Meyer, which shoots February 13 in Baton Rouge with Saoirse Ronan starring and Andrew Niccol directing. They are producing the film with Meyer. The Schwartz's also produced Cogan's Trade with Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner and were exec producers of The Tree of Life, while Wechsler's in production in the Jonathan Glazer-directed Under the Skin, and wrapped the Steven Soderbergh-directed Magic Mike.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/pulitzer-prize-winning-author-cormac-mccarthy-sells-his-first-spec-script/ (http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/pulitzer-prize-winning-author-cormac-mccarthy-sells-his-first-spec-script/)
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Sleepless on January 19, 2012, 09:26:02 AM
Actually, his first spec script was No Country For Old Men. When it didn't sell, he turned it into a novel.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Pozer on January 19, 2012, 01:14:57 PM
this one should be coo too. admire Franco's ambition, his efforts to launch Blood Merdi,etc. been wantin to revisit Child of God,
http://www.wvva.com/story/16549437/james-franco-to-direct-film-in-greenbrier-county (http://www.wvva.com/story/16549437/james-franco-to-direct-film-in-greenbrier-county)
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Sleepless on January 19, 2012, 04:57:12 PM
OT: but I saw JF's movie Sal at AFF. Dude has serious directing ability.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: MacGuffin on January 31, 2012, 09:03:53 PM
Ridley Scott In Talks For Cormac McCarthy's 'The Counselor'
Source: Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Ridley Scott is in talks to direct the Cormac McCarthy-scripted drama The Counselor. Scott intends to make it his next film and his followup to Prometheus, the 3D space film which Fox releases this summer. I guess this is what happens when one of the premiere living authors like the Pulitzer Prize-winning McCarthy takes a break from his novel writing to turn out his first spec screenplay. McCarthy, whose novels have been turned into the films No Country For Old Men, The Road and All the Pretty Horses, did just that in late December, and sold the script to The Road producing team of Nick Wechsler and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz.

Scott had been mulling several options, including an historical epic about Gertrude Bell that The Constant Gardener scribe Jeffrey Caine is currently rewriting, and Child 44 at Summit Entertainment. But Scott has been talking directly to McCarthy and it's looking likely that he and his Scott Free Entertainment banner will come aboard the film and join Wechsler and the Schwartz's as producers. Those producers control all rights, and haven't committed the film to any studio, but I can see their phone sheets filling up by tomorrow morning.

The Counselor is reminiscent of the rough and tumble world depicted in No Country For Old Men. The protagonist is a respected lawyer who thinks he can dip a toe in to the drug business without getting sucked down. It is a bad decision and he tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation. After McCarthy surprised his ICM reps with the spec, the producers moved quickly and spent their own money to buy it in a sizable deal. Wechsler said at the time: "The spec falls smack in the middle of what everyone responds to with Cormac's novels. Said Steve Schwartz: "Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It's a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy's wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy's most disturbing and powerful works." The script is contemporary, and set in the Southwest. Scott is repped by WME.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Pozer on February 01, 2012, 12:16:39 AM
hoping this movie is
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 31, 2012, 09:03:53 PM
Scott Free
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: polkablues on February 01, 2012, 12:53:03 AM
If it's going to be any Scott, it should be Tony.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Pozer on February 01, 2012, 09:19:47 PM
Quote from: Pozer on January 18, 2012, 09:09:27 PM
this is

now a shit project. (http://www.slashfilm.com/ridley-scott-work-3d/)
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: MacGuffin on February 09, 2012, 09:17:42 PM
Ridley Scott Commits To Next Direct McCarthy's 'The Counselor'; Will Michael Fassbender Play Title Role?
Source: Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: The Cormac McCarthy script The Counselor might well be traveling on the fastest track toward production of any film in recent memory. I'm told that Ridley Scott has now committed to make The Counselor his next film. Other sources tell me that Scott has been talking to his Prometheus star Michael Fassbender about playing the title role. While a formal offer hasn't been made, I believe there's a high likelihood that Hollywood's hottest actor will star in the film.

Scott is eyeing a May 1 start date, and he is talking to a number of high-profile actors to take part in a film that insiders are describing as "No Country For Old Men on steroids." Let's put the whole thing in perspective: McCarthy's ICM agents, who expected him to turn in a new novel, were surprised that he instead took a detour and turned in his first feature spec script in December. The agents started talks on a rich spec deal with The Road producers Nick Wechsler and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz. Negotiations started before the end of the year and the deal was done in mid-January.

While a number of directors began chasing the material, Scott jumped the line and basically settled on directing the film in late January. Now, there is a group of top actors who've read the script and want to be in the movie. Even though McCarthy's books have been turned into such films as No Country For Old Men, The Road and All The Pretty Horses, this has to be heady stuff for the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. We're talking six months between the time McCarthy turned in the script and when production is likely to begin.

The Counselor is reminiscent of the rough and tumble world depicted in the Oscar-winning adaptation of McCarthy's novel No Country For Old Men. The protagonist is a respected lawyer who thinks he can dip a toe in to the drug business without getting sucked down. It is a bad decision and he tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation.

When the producers bought it, Wechsler said "The spec falls smack in the middle of what everyone responds to with Cormac's novels. Said Steve Schwartz: "Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with its sexual obsessions. It's a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy's wit and humor in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy's most disturbing and powerful works." The script is contemporary, and set in the Southwest.

There is an active group of buyers and sellers doing brisk business in the frozen climes of Berlin at the European Film Market. Trust me, this is the project that has distributors talking. Fassbender's repped by CAA.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: BB on February 28, 2012, 10:40:33 PM
Not sure how long this will stay up, but for the time being the script can be found here (https://rapidshare.com/#!download%7C530tl%7C1920006318%7CTHE_COUNSELOR_-_Cormac_McCarthy.pdf%7C413%7CR%7E0%7C0%7C0%7CRapidPro).
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: 72teeth on February 29, 2012, 04:19:29 PM
WAT!  :yabbse-grin: THANKS!
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: squints on February 29, 2012, 05:10:25 PM
Quote from: BB on February 28, 2012, 10:40:33 PM
Not sure how long this will stay up, but for the time being the script can be found here (https://rapidshare.com/#!download%7C530tl%7C1920006318%7CTHE_COUNSELOR_-_Cormac_McCarthy.pdf%7C413%7CR%7E0%7C0%7C0%7CRapidPro).

that's not how you format a screenplay Cormac! Geeeez.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Pozer on February 29, 2012, 09:58:39 PM
that script is a farce!

most of it anyhow. i'd believe the format but a lot of the content is  :doh:

here's Playlist's shmaylist http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/we-read-it-casting-ridley-scott-cormac-mccarthys-bleak-beautiful-collaboration-the-counselor (http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/we-read-it-casting-ridley-scott-cormac-mccarthys-bleak-beautiful-collaboration-the-counselor)

some idiot (maybe his phony tweeter) Corms'd up his own amateur script or somesuch. i dunno. it's weird.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: BB on March 01, 2012, 09:29:23 PM
Quote from: Pozer on February 29, 2012, 09:58:39 PM
a lot of the content is  :doh:

I thought so too. It's not bad in my opinion, but it's far from great. Were it not for McCarthy's reputation, there's no way this would've sold and fast-tracked as it has.

Quote from: Pozer on February 29, 2012, 09:58:39 PM
some idiot (maybe his phony tweeter) Corms'd up his own amateur script or somesuch.

I had my doubts about it. But then why the formatting? Like the fake author adopted the no-time-for-this-shit persona of McCarthy as well as his style. I wanna believe it's genuine. Just a little tossed off maybe.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: BB on March 03, 2012, 05:13:31 PM
He also adapted his own The Sunset Limited for Tommy Lee Jones to direct. It played on HBO last year, I think. Very much a filmed play. There may not have actually been any changes made in the adaptation.

And no problem, I am Schmi. Hey, there's a BB in your avatar. Neat.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: MacGuffin on August 20, 2012, 03:48:06 PM
'Counselor' suspends production after Scott death
Ridley Scott directing vehicle shutting down production for the week
By Variety

Scott Free drama "The Counselor" will shut down production for the rest of the week due to the death of Tony Scott.

Brother Ridley Scott is directing the project, which stars Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender. Shooting got under way this summer in London with a script by Cormac McCarthy about a lawyer who attempts to get into the drug business. Additional cast includes Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Rosie Perez.

Scott jumped off a bridge midday Sunday to his death; ABC News later reported that he had inoperable brain cancer.

Twentieth Century Fox will distribute "The Counselor" with Ridley Scott, Steve Schwartz, Nick Wechsler and Paula Mae Schwartz producing for Scott Free and Chockstone Pictures.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: MacGuffin on June 25, 2013, 07:46:44 PM
Teaser Trailer


Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: HeywoodRFloyd on June 25, 2013, 08:54:59 PM
Looks good.. but so did Prometheus
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Lottery on June 25, 2013, 11:13:13 PM
If this is bad in any respect, to the slightest degree, I'll blame Ridley Scott.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: MacGuffin on August 07, 2013, 01:55:19 PM
New Trailer


Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: HeywoodRFloyd on August 08, 2013, 08:20:51 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on August 07, 2013, 01:55:19 PM
New Trailer




Does the image look terribly flat and digital or is it just me?
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Pubrick on August 08, 2013, 09:56:10 AM
Quote from: HeywoodRFloyd on August 08, 2013, 08:20:51 AM
Does the image look terribly flat and digital or is it just me?

yes it looks like shit.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Kellen on August 08, 2013, 02:32:00 PM
It's hard to get super excited for this because Ridley Scott has been so disappointing as of late.
Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: MacGuffin on August 20, 2013, 01:54:28 PM
New Trailer


Title: Re: The Counselor
Post by: Weak2ndAct on February 18, 2014, 10:01:24 AM
Did anyone see this? No joke, this was probably my favorite film of 2013.