Ripley's Believe It Or Not!

[MacGuffin]

'Believe' it: Carrey in Burton pic
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Tim Burton and Jim Carrey are teaming up for "Believe It or Not!" an action-adventure loosely based on Robert Ripley.

Burton and Carrey are in early negotiations to direct and star, respectively, in the movie, which is being produced by Alphaville's Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel along with producer Ken Atchity and executive producer Chi-Li Wong.

Richard Zanuck, who worked with Burton on "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Big Fish" and "Planet of the Apes," also is in negotiations to produce.

The movie will follow the exploits of Ripley, a sport cartoonist who ran out of ideas and turned to the world of the strange and unusual. Ripley became a larger-than-life personality in the '30s and '40s, well-known for going around the world looking for oddities and getting into adventures while doing so.
 
The script, by Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, picks up with Ripley already well-established and searching globally for oddities with his friends, each of whom has a special ability.

Alphaville and Paramount envision a series of adventure movies if the first one catches on. The studio is hoping for an October start date and eyeing a 2007 release.

[modage]

this will be as good as Big Fish (as good as 'new' burton can be) but not as good as Edward Scissorhands (or any 'classic' burton). 

[w/o horse]

This is kind of a fantasy come true for me.  I hope it turns out really well.

[MacGuffin]

Oedekerk deal brings 'Ripley' back to life
Carry, Burton still on board with film
Source: Variety

Paramount Pictures has resurrected shelved pic "Ripley's Believe It or Not!," hiring Steve Oedekerk to overhaul the script.

Remaining in place are Jim Carrey as Ripley and Tim Burton as director, both of whom approved Oedekerk.

Studio is eyeing a winter 2008 production start in China and a 2009 release date.

One of the most ambitious and pricey pictures hatched by the new Paramount regime, "Ripley's" was postponed months before its fall production start. Execs made that move because they faced the prospect of a China shoot with a budget north of $150 million, when Burton and especially Carrey were still coming up with ideas that necessitated a significant rewrite of the script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

Oedekerk, who'll be paid a seven-figure fee, has long been a Carrey go-to-guy. They began collaborating on "In Living Color," and Oedekerk wrote and directed "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" and scripted "Bruce Almighty." Oedekerk most recently scripted the Tom Shadyac-directed "Evan Almighty," starring Steve Carell.

Carrey hatched many of the creative ideas that will broaden the emphasis from his Robert Ripley character to some of the wonders he uncovered for his "Believe It or Not!" column.

Armed with a new take that has been approved by the studio, Oedekerk will work to ramp up the spectacle factor for a budget comparable to the original.

When Paramount applied the brakes to "Ripley's," Burton moved on to direct Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd," a DreamWorks adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical that Paramount will distribute for Christmas, 2007.

The delay came as Carrey was coming off the cancellation of "Used Guys," and watched his subsequent assignment, "A Little Game," get scrapped.

Fox unplugged "Used Guys" because neither the studio nor director Jay Roach were convinced the film would come in on a $105 million budget, and there were no pay-or-play deals with Carrey or Ben Stiller that would have made it prohibitively expensive for Fox to punt.

"A Little Game" came unglued when Cameron Diaz exited after reading a rewrite done by director Gabriele Muccino under the supervision of Focus Features topper James Schamus. Muccino ankled, and Carrey followed suit.

[MacGuffin]

Believe It or Not!... Tim Burton is Out?
Source: ComingSoon.net

ComingSoon.net has learned that Paramount Pictures may be searching for a new director for the Jim Carrey-starring action-adventure Ripley's Believe It or Not!. Tim Burton had been attached to helm the feature, written by Steve Oedekerk (Evan Almighty). The studio was planning a winter 2008 start for a 2009 release date, but it's not known whether this will change things.

The film is based on Robert Ripley, who was an aspiring professional baseball player until he was injured in 1913, the same year his first cartoon appeared in a newspaper. Ripley visited 201 countries throughout his lifetime, all the while collecting information about strange oddities to appear in his columns and cartoons.

In Ripley's Believe It or Not!, the eccentric, wealthy, world-renown collector goes in search of a magical, lost tribe of people. He must battle nefarious forces and come to terms with the man behind the mysteries.

Oedekerk and Carrey began collaborating on "In Living Color," and Oedekerk wrote and directed Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and scripted Bruce Almighty. Burton is currently directing Johnny Depp in the thriller musical Sweeney Todd.

[MacGuffin]

Michel Gondry In Talks To Direct Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Source: film ick

I was expecting Tom Shadyac to take the reins of the Ripley film after Tim Burton left the project but I'm told today that, actually, Michel Gondry is in talks to direct the film.

My source has been 100% accurate on all things Gondry in the past, so I believe it. Doesn't meant I'm too happy about it. If this leads to another rewrite, then I'll be happy. Just in terms of the film's style, the look of a Gondry directed action adventure really does promise to be something special.

I'm speculating that Jim Carrey has been the missing link to bring Gondry over to this side of Hollywood, but I haven't been able to confirm this. Stay tuned for more.

[MacGuffin]

Gondry Tackling 'Ripley's'? Don't Believe It
Source: MTV

One of the more interesting projects out there is a whimsical adaptation of "Ripley's Believe It or Not," the classic anthology of amazing discoveries and questionable facts. Long-attached to the film was director Tim Burton, with Jim Carrey set to play the intrepid explorer in the title role. Recently, however, Burton ditched the production, leaving its future in serious doubt.

Enter the rumor mill. According to one story sweeping the Internet, famed auteur Michel Gondry has been in talks to take over from Burton, reuniting the helmer with his "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" actor. On its face, the pairing would make sense, given the propensity for Gondry to tackle quirky films like "Ripley's." Seems like a lock, right? Well, not quite. Reached for comment, Gondry's publicist assured MTV News that the rumors are, to put it bluntly, "untrue." So is this the final word? Sadly, that'd appear to be the case.

[Pubrick]

hahaah, i loved the movement of this thread from the grapevine to the gondry forum and then back to grapevine within 24 hours.

[MacGuffin]

hahaah, i loved the movement of this thread from the grapevine the tim burton thread to the gondry forum and then back to grapevine within 24 hours.

[Pubrick]

either way, it's that good old fashioned fun of three-thread monte.

[72teeth]

Don't Belive it..!!!


from director-file.com
And that was that! According to MTV News, who talked to Michel's publicist, the rumor that Michel is to direct an adaptation of Ripley's Believe it or Not should not be believed, as it is completely untrue. C'est la vie!


Bummer!!!

[MacGuffin]

Chris Columbus in talks for 'Ripley's'
Paramount wants director for long-delayed film
Source: Variety

Paramount is negotiating with Chris Columbus to direct its long-gestating "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"

Jim Carrey is still set to star as newspaper columnist-explorer Robert Ripley.

After being unplugged months before a 2007 production start in China with Tim Burton at the helm, "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" is getting a complete overhaul, based on a concept that Columbus pitched. Both Paramount and Carrey sparked to it, and the China-based storyline will be scrapped.

Once Columbus' deal is closed, the studio will hire a writer to draft the project, which remains a Par priority: The studio is aiming for a 2011 release and is hoping the pic spawns a franchise. Columbus, who most recently wrapped "I Love You, Beth Cooper," is next expected to direct "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief," based on the Rick Riordan book.

Carrey next will be seen starring in the Peyton Reed-directed Warner Bros. comedy "Yes Man" and the indie drama "I Love You Phillip Morris," which was written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. He also plays Ebenezer Scrooge and three ghosts in "A Christmas Carol," Robert Zemeckis' performance capture film for Disney.