"BE COOL", the long-awaited sequel to the 1995 hit film "Get Shorty", is now casting for production in January.
This MGM dark comedy will star John Travolta again as Chili Palmer, the Miami loan shark turned film producer. The sequel will be about Palmer getting into the music business and becoming the manager of an up-and-coming female rock star who is involved with the Russian mafia.
Based on an Elmore Leonard novel by the same name, "Be Cool" follows Palmer as he and another manager do everything they can to hold onto their rising superstar client. Palmer soon learns that the music business is not that different from the criminal underworld.
Production will begin on January 15, 2004.
CAST MEMBERS: John Travolta, Dwayne Johnson
DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job", "The Negotiator")
PRODUCERS: Michael Shamberg, Danny DeVito, Stacey Sher and David Nicksay
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Jersey Films ("Erin Brockovich", "Pulp Fiction")
DISTRIBUTORS: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
EMAIL FOR MORE INFO: FilmRoles@a1response.com
The film's casting directors are looking to fill a wide variety of principal and background roles.
Male Roles for This Film:
"Raji" (A.K.A. Roger Lowenthal), Caucasian , 20s - 30s. A pseudo-hip music manager of a female rock star named Linda Moon. This white guy wishes he was black. He idolizes Samuel L. Jackson. He wears a backwards black cap, dark shades, a gold choker chain and black pants.
"Sin Russel", Caucasian, 40s. A former Ivy League rich boy turned hip-hop manager. Russell is the manager of the successful rap group Ropa-Dope Posse. He is an amoral, detached music industry player. He has a chip on his shoulder because of a deal gone bad.
"Tommy Athens", Caucasian, 40s. An old friend of Travolta's character and the owner of NTL Records. He is quickly killed off by a hit man.
"Derek Stones", Caucasian or African-American, 20s - 30s He is one of Tommy Athens' recording artist clients who is constantly being made fun of by Chili Palmer (Travolta).
"Nick Car", Caucasian, 40s - early 50s. A complete sleazeball . He has dyed black hair, a ponytail and a pinky ring. He's a self-serving and malicious music industry guy. He is Raji's partner.
"Joe Loop", Caucasian or African-American, 20s - 30s. A sociopathic, unfeeling hit man with an aggressive animal-like look about him.
"Hy Gordon", Caucasian, 30s - 40s. An enterprising record producer and engineer who is impressed by Chili Palmer's savvy business sense and willing to help Linda record a demo.
Female Roles for This Film:
"Linda Moon", Caucasian or Latina, 20s. A beautiful, struggling singer with an incredible voice. She's ambitious and determined to make it in the music business on her own terms. She takes it in stride when she opens for a famous band and is an instant success. Linda is delighted when she is finally given a shot at the bigtime. The part requires singing talent.
"Tiffany", Caucasian or African-American, 20s - 30s. A tough female record producer assistant who wears a Mohawk and a nose ring. This girl has attitude. She plays lead guitar on Linda Moon's demo. She also wears knuckle rings that spell "LADY" on one hand and "LUCK" on the other hand.
For casting details, send email by November 12th to FilmRoles@a1response.com
........... :splat:
can i be chilli palmer?
it's chili outside, and it's chili inside.... it's a regular fuckin' chili
hehe, good one, Ray
*cough* BAN! *cough*
Seriously...
There are probably more aspiring directors and writers here than actors. But you never know. Someday we could be hearing one of us on the HBO First Look piece for some movie. "How did I get the part? Well, I used to be freakerdude on Xixax, and I was about to post some pictures of Jacki Lynn and goat s. ecx when I saw the casting call..."
Just chose freakerdude at random. No particular reason.
Who is Uma Thurman in Be Cool?
Source: Variety
We previously reported that Uma Thurman was reteaming with her Pulp Fiction co-star John Travolta in the MGM sequel to Get Shorty. Vince Vaughn is also talks to join.
It has now been revealed that Thurman will play the female lead, Edie, in Be Cool. Edie is a widow who takes over her late husband's record label. That puts her in business with Palmer, the loanshark-turned-movie producer who has entered the music business in search of another film idea.
Thurman will join Travolta, Danny DeVito (reprising his role as actor Martin Weir) and The Rock, who will play a bodyguard/aspiring actor. Peter Steinfeld wrote the script and a February start date is expected.
man thats a very very cool cast... except for The Rock :roll:
Where is Rene????? :(
..I wove the Rock.....
me and my cousin do freestlye rap battles to the WWE cd during his intro song..
:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
......do you guys smi-zell what the rock is cooking.. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ..........
i am a loser....just kidding...... :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:
.....
Quote from: coffeebeetleWhere is Rene????? :(
olding.
Quote from: andykman thats a very very cool cast... except for The Rock :roll:
You didn't like him in the Rundown?
Quote from: CinephileQuote from: andykman thats a very very cool cast... except for The Rock :roll:
You didn't like him in the Rundown?
havent seen that yet... I wanted to for Sean William Scott, but not for The Rock... maybe when I see it I change my mind :roll:
So what exactly do you have against the Rock?
Quote from: CinephileSo what exactly do you have against the Rock?
nothing against him really... I think the WWE is bullshit and well I saw his past movies (the one with the mummy and some other...) and I didnt like them
Kinda silly to not see a VERY fun movie like the Rundown because you're basing the Rock on his wrestling and past Mummy/Scorpion King movies.
It wasnt cause of that... I will see the film... I just didnt in the theatres cause I didnt feel like it... or I had something better to watch at the time...
I dont like what the guy has done so far but maybe you're right and this movie is good
:roll:
.....the rock is underrated as an actor and wrestler.....
i have a feeling (deep inside) that the rock may win an independant spirit award for his acting in BE COOL.....
a clip from the set: http://et.tv.yahoo.com/movies/2004/03/03/johntravoltabecool/index.html
Funny how Travolta talks about taking Chili Palmer out of his pocket and after eight years putting him back on. Then going "into character" changes nothing, not even the tone of his voice, nothing but quoting the first movie.
i enjoyed Get Shorty, but i will be skipping Be Cool for one reason, and one reason only..... Brett Ratner...that filthy fucking rat!
Quote from: filmboy70i enjoyed Get Shorty, but i will be skipping Be Cool for one reason, and one reason only..... Brett Ratner...that filthy fucking rat!
Quote from: CastCallDIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job", "The Negotiator")
I bought the book as soon as it came out--wasn't very good. felt like leonard doing an imitation of himself.
Quote from: MacGuffinQuote from: filmboy70i enjoyed Get Shorty, but i will be skipping Be Cool for one reason, and one reason only..... Brett Ratner...that filthy fucking rat!
Quote from: CastCallDIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job", "The Negotiator")
i havent followed
Be Cool one bit. ratner was initially tapped to direct. thank you for proving me wrong without being a dick.
Quote from: peteI bought the book as soon as it came out--wasn't very good. felt like leonard doing an imitation of himself.
I was just about to post the exact same thing. It felt like Leonard doing an imitation of himself writing Get Shorty.
it felt like leonard was just imitating himself.
John Travolta on Be Cool From the Set!
Source: Coming Soon
In the film Be Cool, John Travolta returns to one of his most beloved roles, gangland's Chili Palmer, last seen finding success as a producer in the movie business in Get Shorty. This time out, Chili gets involved in the music industry when Edie, played by his Pulp Fiction partner Uma Thurman, inherits a record company from her late husband. The all-star cast includes James Woods, Vince Vaughn, Harvey Keitel, The Rock, Cedric the Entertainer, and Danny DeVito, as well as music stars Andre 3000 of OutKast and Christina Milian. Based on a book by Elmore Leonard, the production has filmed scenes all over Los Angeles at landmarks like Staples Center and Canter's Deli, but when we checked in with John Travolta, the crew had set up camp in downtown L.A., taking over a facility often used for filming music videos and transforming it into the offices of NTL (Nothing To Lose) Records.
Is Chili Palmer your favorite role?
Oh, not particularly. I've loved all my parts. Chili's one of my favorites, for sure. He's just like a cool guy. He's like the James Bond of the street.
He's also a guy who's like a little boy, full of enthusiasm for his passions.
I think that's spot on. He has definitely got almost a childlike passion for movies and music in this movie, so that's the one thing about him that I think makes him a character is not just how cool he is, but how almost naïve he is about his love for his passions.
Your director, F. Gary Gray, believes that the music business is more dangerous than the movie business. What's your take on it?
Probably yes, because I think the Mafia influence in the music industry, there's evidence of it. And I have a, well, probably early on, even before Grease , when I did records, even as a kid, I could sense the leveraging going on around me. So it definitely was a heavier vibe.
Is your portrayal of Chili based on any particular person?
Well, it's not a mimicking of anything that I know. It's kind of a compilation of many people that I saw growing up in the movie industry and in the street, and he's an original guy too. I always thought of him as the Sean Connery of the street. And having the book helps a lot. When you read all of the details in the book about Chili, it guides you on how to play him.
Have you talked to Elmore Leonard about the character?
We've met. He almost does what Pinter does in his plays, where he gives you all of it in his writing, so your job is to ascertain exactly how much of it to use or not use or create because I met the real Chili Palmer and he's nothing like what I play Chili like. He's much more eccentric.
How are you enjoying pairing up with Uma Thurman again?
Well, I love Uma. We're wonderful friends and I like us onscreen together. I think we have a natural chemistry and we trust each other onscreen, and that's a wonderful thing as a professional to experience, just to trust that she knows what she's doing and I know what I'm doing and to help each other if we need to. We're a team acting together.
What made this the right project to reteam with Uma?
I wanted her right from the start on this and I didn't know if we would get her. But she was my first choice for this, because when I read it, it just seemed like the people who wanted to do it, without mentioning them, were marvelous. They were high-end people too, but I just bought Uma in the music industry because she's exotic and there's an originality there.
In the book, Chili admits he's more into Sinatra than Hip-Hop. What do you prefer?
I'm probably like Chili in that way in that I'm more of a Tony Bennett and Sinatra fan, but Chili is a dilettante in the way that he knows a little bit about everything and I think he knows a lot about movie trivia and I think he knows a lot about music trivia, and so I play him maybe being more fond of the classics but actually knowing a lot about music. Like Quentin Tarantino knows a lot about film, that's how I play Chili, knowing a lot about film and music.
Have you been listening to any newer acts to prepare for the film?
Black Eyed Peas I'm going to dance to, and Andre of course. I've enjoyed experiencing that. I have a whole CD of tons of musicians to kind of get and basically I go with who I'm supposed to be familiar with, so I go with that.
Be Cool is currently scheduled for release by MGM Pictures on February 11, 2005.
Quote from: MacGuffin wrote that JohnBlack Eyed Peas I'm going to dance to
ahahaha! that really sucks balls
I wonder if his publicist tells him to say that.
Quote from: hacksparrowQuote from: peteI bought the book as soon as it came out--wasn't very good. felt like leonard doing an imitation of himself.
I was just about to post the exact same thing. It felt like Leonard doing an imitation of himself writing Get Shorty.
I got halfway through Be Cool and didn't care enough to finish it.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fmovies.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fhv%2Fphoto%2Fmovie_pix%2Fmgm%2Fbe_cool%2Fbecool_bigposter.jpg&hash=4053d279687302972c010e278cc3df5450696293)
maybe if they took half the cast out, leaving only vaughn, keitel and the rock standing in the background, this would have been a better poster.
prediction: vince vaughn and the rock (judging by their appearances here) will be the best thing about this film. and uma looks damn fine
They should have used photos of Travolta and Tyler from the 70s, when they actually were cool (I guess . . .).
Trailer here. (http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/becoolqt.html)
Quote from: MacGuffinTrailer here. (http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/becoolqt.html)
Disappointing.. It's too artificial
It's not disapointing to me because I knew this would suck.
It looks like they took the Chili Palmer character and tossed him into some cartoony comedy like Starsky and Hutch or something.
They're going to have Chili dance with Uma and it will be sad.
The book was disapointing anyway.
Looks like a lot of fun to me. Rock & Vaughn will fucking OWN this.
I'm surprised noone posted about this yet (after it opened Friday). I think it was a huge piece of shit. Not only it has NO STORY at all. Not even a bad story. But its a complete waste of excellent resources a) The cast b) The potential of making a movie about gangsters/movies/music c) an obscene amount of money + more product placement than you can imagine.
Its so bad that there is nothing outside of the trailer that makes it valuable... except maybe for some classical Travolta expressions and lines, which can also be seen in movies like Pulp Fiction or maybe Get Shorty. Vince Vaughn is funny as hell, and so is Andre 3000. Uma is always good, and we all have a special love for her anyhow. Then there are some small surprises, and some funny things, but it really shows how they did this for pure money and marketing purposes and there was nothing else involved.
but it's about networking in the biz!
I've never seen Get Shorty, but I enjoyed this. I laughed enough and had a fun time with the film doing so many pokes at itself and the characters. It never really took itself seriously to make me think it was adapted from a novel of any respect. It's just an entertainment film.
I love entertainment films.
Quote from: brockly(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fmovies.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fhv%2Fphoto%2Fmovie_pix%2Fmgm%2Fbe_cool%2Fbecool_bigposter.jpg&hash=4053d279687302972c010e278cc3df5450696293)
:saywhat: uma thurman looks like the biggest woman in the world.
Quote from: peteI love entertainment films.
..and if that's the case, go see Ong Back.
That is one hell of an entertaining movie.
I saw ong bak like two years ago.
Quote from: peteI saw ong bak like two years ago.
Lucky for me I heard it was released in Thailand that long ago!
:yabbse-undecided:
Saw this the other night and was really disapointed. Andyk basically said what I felt. That's all.
Quote from: The Gold TrumpetI've never seen Get Shorty, but I enjoyed this. I laughed enough and had a fun time with the film doing so many pokes at itself and the characters. It never really took itself seriously to make me think it was adapted from a novel of any respect. It's just an entertainment film.
I will never understand your taste.
Quote from: POZERQuote from: The Gold TrumpetI've never seen Get Shorty, but I enjoyed this. I laughed enough and had a fun time with the film doing so many pokes at itself and the characters. It never really took itself seriously to make me think it was adapted from a novel of any respect. It's just an entertainment film.
I will never understand your taste.
Until you seriously want to try, I'll take it as a good thing.
Quote from: POZERQuote from: The Gold TrumpetI've never seen Get Shorty, but I enjoyed this. I laughed enough and had a fun time with the film doing so many pokes at itself and the characters. It never really took itself seriously to make me think it was adapted from a novel of any respect. It's just an entertainment film.
I will never understand your taste.
what's there to understand, he likes random shit.
Man, I hate movies like this. Its like they didn't even try cause they had the hype from the 'Get Shorty' fans and John Travolta and Uma Thurman. Editing wise, it was amateurish. Without trying to brag, if I had a few days with the movie, I could have tightened it up. They had these scenes that would just go on and on cause they thought the improv was funny I guess. Damn, its mind-boggling how amateurish it was. The characters were all pretty annoying, and not in the good way. What the fuck was with the assasin guy and the coleslaw. Its like they sat around and went 'we have to give him a tick, what could it be? Let's make him a really annoyingly sloppy eater. Like he never swallows. Won't that seem really obviously fake? Naw, it'll be fine.'
And then you have vince vaughn, which I guess was supposed to be funny, but I jsut felt like walking towards the screen and start beating the crap out of his projection. Anyway, that's my opinion.
It's awful...really awful. Enough said.
Just saw Get Shorty for the very first time today, and it jsut made Be cool worse for me. They just did the same jokes in the sequel as they did in the first one. What the fuck is that? It was ridiculous how identical the films are. I'd go into a list, but there are seriously too many and its late. Fuck, I hate Be Cool.
Has anyone read Be Cool? If you had, you might have realized that the book is also just a cheap copy of Get Shorty.
I thought Be Cool was a little too self-referential and self-aware for my taste. It has been a while since I've seen Get Shorty (my memories of the film are good) but I seem to remember it having more going for it than the one-joke premise of the Hitman-in-Hollywood ("the film industry is just like organized crime except less honest" type thing). In Be Cool, that is basically the whole setup of the film (except now it takes on the music industry). For a two hour movie (even one with half a dozen major supporting characters), that is a pretty flimsy foundation. I wanted to enjoy this at least on a pure entertainment level and still couldn't do it. Everyone was just running around setting each other up while dismissing each character's stereotype by having some unexpected quirk. But, the characters weren't funny, they weren't endearing and they were all written so thinly that to give them so much screentime only made the film far less interesting than it could have been had it just tried to keep up with all of the double-crosses. Instead of being fun or interesting it was just sad. What a waste.