Paul Verhoeven

[MacGuffin]

Robocop director begins filming World War II tale in The Hague

THE HAGUE - Dutch filmmaker     Paul Verhoeven, celebrated as the director of "Basic Instinct" and "Robocop", began filming a story set in the Netherlands in World War II, the biggest-budget Dutch movie ever.

"Black Book", which tells of the resistance to the German occupation, is being made in Dutch and German. It is Verhoeven's first full-length feature for five years. Its central character is a Jewish cabaret star.

Filming is taking place in     The Hague, used by the Germans as the seat of government during the occupation and restored in part to its appearance at that time. However some street signs are in English to cater for the US market.

The movie has a budget of 16 million euros (19.7 million dollars). Filming is due to be completed by December and the film is due for release in September 2006, in time to be an     Oscars contender as Best Foreign Language Film.

Verhoeven, 67, made 13 films in the Netherlands before moving to Hollywood where he had a hit with "Robocop", a science fiction story that cost 13 million dollars (10.5 million euros) to make and netted 53 million dollars (42 million euros) in the United States.

Later films included other science fiction movies such as "Total Recall" and "Starship Troopers" as well as the critically-panned "Showgirls" but his biggest hit came in 1992 with "Basic Instinct" starring     Michael Douglas and     Sharon Stone: made with a budget of 50 million dollars its receipts worldwide total 353 million dollars (285 million euros) so far.

[Rudie Obias]

where do i start with this post?  i've been watching his early dutch work and i think it's just fantastic.  films like TURKS FRUIT (1973), KEETJE TIPPEL (1975), SOLDAAT VAN ORANJE (1977), SPETTERS (1980) and DE VIERDE MAN (1983) are very wonderful films.  of course his later american films are infamous for being very horrible.  because of this, verhoeven is seen as a horrible filmmaker which i think is very unfair.  he's very smart and has a great film sensibility.  the only difference between european and american film is, of course, sex.  verhoeven explores sex in very interesting ways.  he shows it head on.  all the good and bad things that come with it.  also i just LOVE hearing him talk about film.  he's very clever.  his commentaries are just great!  he uses the same actors in most of his films, mainly rutger hauer, monica van de ven and renée soutendijk.  to me, monica van de ven and renée soutendijk are to verhoeven as anna karina is to godard.  not to have a cruch on monica van de ven is completely insane to me (especially in KEETJE TIPPEL). 

if you don't have a problem with realism, nudity, sex and violence in film then i HIGHLY recommend watching the early dutch works of paul verhoeven.   i kinda wanna re watch his american films just to see if his sensibility has changed.

[MacGuffin]

Verhoeven Employs A "Paperboy"

Filmick reports that Paul Verhoeven's next project will be an adaptation of Pete Dexter's "The Paperboy" to shoot in early 2008.

Set in and around Moat County Florida in the 1960s, the novel is a murder investigation - crusading journalist - serial killer mystery.

A decade ago Pedro Almodovar tried to put the film into production, but it never got off the ground.

Verhoeven's other new films "The Winter Queen" and "Kneeling on a Bed of Violets" are apparently still very much in the works.

[MacGuffin]

Verhoeven to Direct Thomas Crown Sequel
Source: FilmTotaal

Paul Verhoeven (Black Book, Basic Instinct, Total Recall told Dutch radio program "Met Het Oog Op Morgen" ("With the Eye on Tomorrow") this week that he will direct the sequel to 1999's The Thomas Crown Affair.

The follow-up, again starring Pierce Brosnan, is titled The Topkapi Affair and will draw on material from 1964's Topkapi, an MGM film, and the Eric Ambler novel which it was based on, called "The Light of the Day."

[MacGuffin]

Paul Verhoeven takes on Jesus
Source: Hollywood Reporter

AMSTERDAM -- Dutch director Paul Verhoeven will publish his long-awaited biography of Jesus of Nazareth in September.

Published by Amsterdam-based Meulenhoff, the book is the result of more than 20 years of research. Over the years, Verhoeven was a regular attendee of U.S. scholar Robert W. Funk's Jesus seminars, which call into question miracles and statements attributed to Jesus.

Verhoeven claims to portray Jesus in the most realistic way in his book, co-written by his biographer, Rob van Scheers.

One of his conclusions deals with the fact that Jesus was probably the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee. Verhoeven also claims that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

Verhoeven, who turns 70 in July, has had a lifelong ambition to make a film about Jesus, based on scientific research. Verhoeven decided to write the book to raise interest in the project. His publisher is in negotiations for an English-language translation.

[MacGuffin]

Verhoeven eyes Miller's erotic thriller
Relativity, De Luca to produce untitled script
Source: Variety

Paul Verhoeven is eyeing a return to the world of erotic thrillers.

The "Basic Instinct" helmer is in talks to direct the untitled Wendy Miller thriller for Relativity Media.

Story centers on a college intern who finds himself trapped in a dangerous affair with the boss's wife. Project is described as "Risky Business" meets "Fatal Attraction."

Michael De Luca is producing via his Sony-based De Luca Prods. banner. Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley are also producing; De Luca Prods.' Alissa Phillips exec produces. Luber/Roklin Entertainment's Stephen Crawford, who developed the project with tyro scribe Miller, also will exec produce alongside colleague Matt Luber.

Relativity, which picked up the script in May, has fast-tracked the project and is eyeing a first-quarter 2009 start date. Miller is penning a rewrite under Verhoeven's direction.

De Luca most recently teamed with Relativity on the upcoming Jim Sheridan-helmed drama "Brothers," which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire.

Dutch-born Verhoeven most recently directed the 2006 WWII espionage thriller "Black Book." He is attached to a dozen or so projects, including a "Thomas Crown Affair" sequel for MGM, with Pierce Brosnan attached to star.

[MacGuffin]

Verhoeven on tap for 'Surrogate'
Fox thriller lures Dutch director back to Hollywood
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Paul Verhoeven is coming back to America.

The Dutch director, who most recently helmed his native-tongued "Black Book," has come aboard to develop and direct "The Surrogate," a thriller for 20th Century Fox. Ralph Winter is producing via his Winter Road shingle along with Deborah Giarratana, Robin Guthrie and Susana Zepeda.

Based on the 2004 book by Kathryn Mackel, the story centers on a couple desperate to have a child who find themselves in an unbearable position when they find out the surrogate they hired to carry their baby is insane.

The project originally was set up at Fox Atomic but moved to Fox proper when Atomic was shuttered. Debbie Liebling, who ran Atomic, is overseeing "Surrogate."

Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor wrote the original draft.

Winter, a producer on Fox's "X-Men" movies, most recently was a producer on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." 

Verhoeven, repped by ICM and Marion Rosenberg, became one of Hollywood's most sought-after directors in the 1990s with such movies as "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct." He became disenchanted with Tinseltown after his 2000 sci-fi thriller "Hollow Man" fizzled. He then returned to the Netherlands, where he made "Book." The World War II thriller won several awards and thrust him back in the limelight.

Verhoeven is developing several projects, including "The Winter Queen," with Milla Jovovich attached to star.

[Captain of Industry]

Saw him last night discussing his book Jesus of Nazareth.  My favorite part was his insistence that Jesus was simply a talented exorcist (like in the Friedkin movie!).

[MacGuffin]

Why'd RoboCop/Starship Troopers director turn to Jesus?
Source: SciFi Wire

Wonder what RoboCop and Starship Troopers bad-boy director Paul Verhoeven's been up to lately? How about writing a scholarly book about Jesus?

That's just what he's done, according to a report on The Wall Street Journal's Speak Easy blog.

Before you get the wrong idea, the sex-and-violence director of Basic Instinct hasn't gone religious on us: He's a longtime researcher for the Jesus Seminar in Los Angeles, a group that tries to get at the root of the historical figure of Jesus. In his book, Verhoeven explicitly calls himself a "nonbeliever."

Here's more from Speak Easy:

Paul Verhoeven, director of "Robocop," "Basic Instinct" and "Starship Troopers," has long been known for perfecting the art of the subversive blockbuster.

However, he may have topped that feat with his latest achievement: "Jesus of Nazareth" (Seven Stories Press), a quasi-scholarly, 200-page portrayal of Christianity's most emblematic figure from a realistic perspective.

The newly released book, which reflects Verhoeven's 25 years of research as a member of the Jesus Seminar in Los Angeles, blends historical insights with the filmmaker's flair for drama. ...

Although he describes himself in "Jesus of Nazareth" as a "non-theologian, non-believer and a movie director to boot," Verhoeven seemed less interested in dispelling the mythology of Jesus (whom he believes to have existed) than in fleshing out the darker details of the alleged messiah's life. He compared biblical descriptions of Jesus performing exorcisms to "The Exorcist," saying, "This was not a light touch. It was much more violent."


So the natural question: Will he make a movie out of this? Don't count on it: Verhoeven says he doesn't think Hollywood would be interested.

[Captain of Industry]

So the natural question: Will he make a movie out of this? Don't count on it: Verhoeven says he doesn't think Hollywood would be interested.

But he's dying for it, of course.  A potential Jesus film is repeatedly referenced to in his book, and multiple times he stated he'd like to make the film.  He doesn't believe a good film about Jesus has been made yet (his favorite thus far is Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew).  The problem is simply a green-light, and it's not hard to see, basically by his own admission, the book as an opportunity to raise interest in the film.  He feels Hollywood isn't interest in provocative filmmaking anymore and that's why he so much trouble financing films there.  Hollywood he specifically mentioned by the way, "If they gave me a lot of money in Hollywood I'd make the film," although I think Black Book demonstrated he doesn't need Hollywood.

But he also said he wrote a book because you can explore different avenues of thought more effectively in a novel than in a film.  In a film it's difficult to suggest alternate interpretations and tangential thoughts without drifting from the narrative and confusing the audience.

The book is basically a bunch of fun.  "Quasi-scholarly" is a good way of describing it, emphasis on quasi.  My second favorite moment, after the exorcism bit, was when he said that "the kingdom of heaven annexed Jesus' libido."

[MacGuffin]

EXCLUSIVE: Paul Verhoeven Pushes Play On Video Game Adaptation Set In 1914
Source: MTV

UPDATE: /Film editor Peter Sciretta rightly points out that a very likely candidate for this adaptation is mystery/adventure game "The Last Express," created by none other than "Prince of Persia" architect Jordan Mechner. With "Prince" getting a soon-to-release adaptation and Mechner so freshly finished with that movie's screenplay, I'd frankly be surprised if this adaptation didn't turn out to be "The Last Express." Good catch guys.

Paul Verhoeven is a rare genius, the sort that not everyone recognizes. On the surface, works like "Starship Troopers," "Basic Instinct" and "RoboCop" seem like popcorn blockbusters, but there's a lot going on beneath the surface for those who choose to look for it. Fans should be excited then that the filmmaker is turning his attention to a medium that has frequently been abused by past Hollywood adaptations: video games.

"I am working on a movie now that is... situated in 1914. Basically, Indiana Jones-ish you could say, but also Hitchcockian," he explained in a recent interview with MTV's Josh Horowitz. "We are scripting it. It's an idea that exists already... from another medium, and so we are making it now into a film narrative." Which medium, Josh asked. "A game, a video game."

Unfortunately, Verhoeven is unwilling to reveal the identity of his source material just yet, though the game's writer is apparently involved in developing it. "The writer of the video game has asked me to keep [the identity of the game] secret until he has a script."

I conferred with MTV Multiplayer editor Russ Frushtick, and we couldn't think of too many possibilities with a 1914 setting. Polish import "NecroVisioN" seems unlikely, as it is a World War I-set first-person shooter, and not really in the thriller vein. "Red Dead Redemption," the upcoming Rockstar Western, is set in the early-1900s, but it also doesn't feel quite right.

Verhoeven is a longtime fan of Alfred Hitchcock. "Basic Instinct" finds clear inspiration in the master auteur's work, and there are echoes of him in much of Verhoeven's Dutch work, such as "The Fourth Man." The real mystery today is this next movie. Which game could Verhoeven be working on an adaptation of?

[OrHowILearnedTo]

What's the subversive genius of Starship Troopers again? Did it really have any substance behind it, or was it only vague ideas masked behind an action B-Movie homage. All i can remember is the effects were terrible and every actor sucked hard. Needs more Jeff Goldblum.

[MacGuffin]

Paul Verhoeven To Direct Sexy Ghost Thriller 'Eternal'
Source: The Playlist

It's been a few years since Paul Verhoeven's WWII drama "Black Book," a marked departure from the director's usual fare of boobs and bullets. Over the past few months he's been attached to a couple of projects, the Islam and psychic powers film "The Hidden Force" and the video game adaptation "The Last Express," but it looks like his next will find him in very familiar territory. Deadline reports that Verhoeven has signed to direct "Eternal," a "Fatal Attraction"-with-ghost story. Start getting those Razzies ready. The film will follow a married recovering alcoholic who "helps a woman threatening to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. They end up in bed, and in a torrid sexual affair. When he gets home, he's confronted by his wife and a private investigator, with photos spread across a table. He thinks he's busted, but the photos that should have shown him in the clinches with his mistress instead show him alone, drinking alcohol. He initially questions his own sanity, but progressively figures out that this temptress is a ghost who is after his soul." With a script by David Loughery ("Obsessed," "Lakeview Terrace") being rewritten by Richard D'Ovidio ("Exit Wounds," "Thirteen Ghosts") this has quality written all over it. Production on the film isn't set to begin until next summer, so Verhoeven has plenty of time to reconsider and change his mind.

[wilder]

Running with scissors: the director of 'Robocop' and 'Showgirls' bets on his fans and loses
via The Verge

Paul Verhoeven struggles with the crowd in 'Tricked'

Debuting his latest film at Tribeca, director Paul Verhoeven took the stage on an almost apologetic note. "I hope that you enjoy it, and will accept the moral choices I made while making the movie." Coming from a man best known for the super-charged sex and violence of RoboCop, Total Recall, and Showgirls, it's downright bewildering.

If he's cautious, it's because he just took a big risk and got burned. His latest movie, Tricked, was conceived as "the first user-generated film," in the words of his producer. It would be a story guided entirely by the audience. Verhoeven began by filming a five-minute script (the first episode), put it online, and asked the audience to write scripts for the next five minutes. All the filmmakers had to do was choose the best one and get filming. The final product is something of a double feature: first, a 50-minute documentary about the process, then the 40-minute short they actually shot.

Starting out, the crew is all smiles. Verhoeven talks about how inspiring it is to plunge into the unknown, how that leap has inspired all his best work. The actors are nervous, but excited. How do you play a character if you don't know where they're going? How will their humble ship of a film navigate the surging ocean of creativity they're about to set loose?

Then, as anyone familiar with the internet would expect, things go wrong. They get lots of submissions – over 35,000 scripts, with 12 teams producing video mockups on YouTube – but none of them exactly work. "I figured there would only be one or two great ones," Verhoeven muses, but it's a mess of conflicting ideas. From the initial domestic drama, contributors throw in alien landings and murderous yakuza. In a Q&A after the Tribeca screening, Verhoeven described one writer who submitted extended sadomasochistic sex scenes for every episode. How do you make a movie out of that?

As Verhoeven apologetically explains halfway through the documentary section, things like tone and structure are very important in screenwriting. When you give your script up to the crowd, you lose control of them. No one could copy the style of the initial draft, or guide it to any kind of climax or conclusion. The film students who had studied story structure rejected Verhoeven's idea as an insult to writers, and he was left with a jumble of contradictions. Finally, he called in a genuine screenwriter to sort through the chaos, to cull the best ideas and write whatever needed to be written in between. Verhoeven estimates about 70 percent of the final script came from the audience, but it was well-massaged enough to be nearly unrecognizable.

The result is a strange hybrid. The crowd had some great ideas, including a scissor-stabbing climax that's too good to spoil. Even the S&M obsessive got in on the fun, contributing an unexpected breast-flashing scene that establishes the film's offbeat sexuality early on. Of course, it's a more interesting moment when it's not followed by five minutes of implausible sex, but that's what editors are for.

As a whole, Tricked still has its problems. The first half of the double feature drags on, and moment to moment it's never quite as interesting as the process it's trying to show. The second half of the feature is stronger, but the tonal problems are hard to shake, veering from corporate drama to sex farce as the story progresses.

This is minor Verhoeven, destined to be a blip in his filmography between Black Book and whatever he takes on next. But as a tale of crowd-sourcing gone wrong, it could be much more enduring. As Verhoeven put it in the Q&A, "it was much, much harder than I thought." By now, he's learned his lesson: the crowds aren't always as wise as you hope they'll be.

[polkablues]

This reminds me, I bought the DVD of Black Book a few years ago and I still haven't watched it. I should get on that one of these days.