Disney+ is developing a live-action television series adaptation of Eragon, based on Christopher Paolini’s popular YA book series The Inheritance Cycle. Eragon is the first book in the series.
Paolini will co-write the series and executive produce with Bert Salke executive producing via his Co-Lab 21 banner as part of his deal with Disney Television Studios. 20th Television is the studio.
In the series adaptation, a teenage boy becomes magically joined with a newly-hatched dragon. Together, they must learn what it means to be dragon and Rider as they fight in the resistance against a tyrannical king.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Paolini in a blog post. “I can’t tell you how many conversations, meetings, and messages were needed in order to reach this point. And we’re still just at the beginning! However, none of this would have been possible without everyone who has read the books,...
Paolini will co-write the series and executive produce with Bert Salke executive producing via his Co-Lab 21 banner as part of his deal with Disney Television Studios. 20th Television is the studio.
In the series adaptation, a teenage boy becomes magically joined with a newly-hatched dragon. Together, they must learn what it means to be dragon and Rider as they fight in the resistance against a tyrannical king.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Paolini in a blog post. “I can’t tell you how many conversations, meetings, and messages were needed in order to reach this point. And we’re still just at the beginning! However, none of this would have been possible without everyone who has read the books,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the massive success of Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking Jurassic Park in 1993, sequels were inevitable. Michael Crichton, author of the original novel, even wrote one himself, The Lost World, which served as the loose basis for Spielberg’s own cinematic sequel, 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park. When that made a ton of money as well, plans were put in motion for Jurassic Park III.
It would be four years before that film arrived in theaters, however, and a number of things changed during that time. While Jeff Goldblum returned from the original Jurassic Park to star in The Lost World, he sat out the next movie—making way for another of the first film’s main trio, Sam Neill, to step back in as Dr. Alan Grant.
Although Jurassic Park III has garnered a reputation over the years for being a troubled production, Neill tells Den of Geek now...
It would be four years before that film arrived in theaters, however, and a number of things changed during that time. While Jeff Goldblum returned from the original Jurassic Park to star in The Lost World, he sat out the next movie—making way for another of the first film’s main trio, Sam Neill, to step back in as Dr. Alan Grant.
Although Jurassic Park III has garnered a reputation over the years for being a troubled production, Neill tells Den of Geek now...
- 6/6/2022
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Steven Soderbergh's Che (2008), shown as The Argentine and Guerrilla, are playing in June and July in the United States.Half way through Steven Soderbergh’s two-part, four-and-a-half-hour epic Che, ABC News journalist Lisa Howard asks the Argentine doctor-turned-revolutionary how he feels about “being a symbol.” The question ricochets off the sleek interiors of a New York room, 1964—the year Guevara addressed the United Nations on the threat U.S. imperialism posed to world peace. But in Soderbergh’s biopic, it plays over images from January 2, 1959—the day Che, having conquered the city of Santa Clara, raced to Havana to reunite with Fidel Castro and celebrate “the end of the war, and the start of the [Cuban] revolution.” It’s a choice that makes for a peculiar dialectic: a man who by the 1960s had already become a global icon...
- 6/15/2019
- MUBI
Last month, it was reported that the producers behind new Jackie Chan action thriller The Foreigner were in talks with Nick Cassavetes to direct the film, based on Stephen Leather’s novel The Chinaman. The movie is now untitled and Cassavetes is no longer circling, but it appears Martin Campbell is ready to take on the job instead. This actually represents a full circle for the film, as Campbell was actually involved in its development before being lured away to tackle Relativity Media’s Hunter Killer. But with that company in financial dire straights, Hunter Killer is in limbo and Campbell is once again free to take on other projects.Chan will play a restaurant owner in London’s Chinatown who is devastated in an attack orchestrated by rogue Irish terrorists. When the justice system brings him no satisfaction, he decides to track down the people responsible himself. With David Marconi...
- 7/15/2015
- EmpireOnline
Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale," "Goldeneye") is in talks to direct a now untitled Jackie Chan film, previously known as "The Foreigner," for Stx Entertainment. David Marconi and Peter Buchman penned the adaptation of the Stephen Leather novel.
Chan will play a humble restaurant owner in London's Chinatown who is forced to push his moral and physical boundaries to track down the group of rogue Irish terrorists responsible for the death of his beloved daughter after the justice system fails him.
Meanwhile, Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight," "Red Riding Hood") is set to direct a film adaptation of Jerry Spinelli's bestselling 2000 young adult novel "Stargirl" for Gotham Group, Hahnscape Entertainment and Bcdf Productions.
The story follows a homeschooled teenager who enrolls in an Arizona high school, altering the ecosystem of the student body with her nonconformity. Kristin Hahn will adapt the script and produce with filming to begin this Fall.
Source: Variety...
Chan will play a humble restaurant owner in London's Chinatown who is forced to push his moral and physical boundaries to track down the group of rogue Irish terrorists responsible for the death of his beloved daughter after the justice system fails him.
Meanwhile, Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight," "Red Riding Hood") is set to direct a film adaptation of Jerry Spinelli's bestselling 2000 young adult novel "Stargirl" for Gotham Group, Hahnscape Entertainment and Bcdf Productions.
The story follows a homeschooled teenager who enrolls in an Arizona high school, altering the ecosystem of the student body with her nonconformity. Kristin Hahn will adapt the script and produce with filming to begin this Fall.
Source: Variety...
- 7/15/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
14 years ago, Universal Pictures was banking on the re-invention of one of its top movie franchises becoming its biggest hit of the summer. The studio handed one of its greatest money-making franchises to a visionary director and tasked him with breathing new life into a sagging franchise. This director would need to create a movie that winked at its past, while also expanding its world beyond its memorable but somewhat limiting premise. Sound familiar?
Long before Jurassic World there was Jurassic Park III, a 2001 movie that has largely been swept under the rug by fans of the blockbuster film series. Pinpointing exactly why Jurassic Park III is so often ignored is difficult. When Jurassic Park III is referenced in the public discourse, it's often unfavourably compared to the original Jurassic Park or disregarded as being as bad or worse than The Lost World. Make no mistake - Jurassic Park III is much,...
Long before Jurassic World there was Jurassic Park III, a 2001 movie that has largely been swept under the rug by fans of the blockbuster film series. Pinpointing exactly why Jurassic Park III is so often ignored is difficult. When Jurassic Park III is referenced in the public discourse, it's often unfavourably compared to the original Jurassic Park or disregarded as being as bad or worse than The Lost World. Make no mistake - Jurassic Park III is much,...
- 6/10/2015
- Digital Spy
Jurassic Park III
Directed by Joe Johnston
Written byPeter Buchman, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
2001, USA
Continuing our look at the original Jurassic Park trilogy, we now come to the third film in a franchise that didn’t lend itself to franchising very well in the first place. Simply titled Jurassic Park III (with 3 claw marks!), the film represents the last gasping attempt to milk the groundbreaking 1993 techno thriller of its fandom after the darker and scattershot turn the franchise took with The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997. Released in 2001, another 4 years between sequels, but now long after dinosaurs had captured the movie-going zeitgeist. We’d been through an alien invasion and a disaster movie fad since then and had moved on. We’d cloned a sheep and science was continuing to demystify genetic engineering. If the franchise was going to remain relevant it would have to present us with a new idea,...
Directed by Joe Johnston
Written byPeter Buchman, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
2001, USA
Continuing our look at the original Jurassic Park trilogy, we now come to the third film in a franchise that didn’t lend itself to franchising very well in the first place. Simply titled Jurassic Park III (with 3 claw marks!), the film represents the last gasping attempt to milk the groundbreaking 1993 techno thriller of its fandom after the darker and scattershot turn the franchise took with The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997. Released in 2001, another 4 years between sequels, but now long after dinosaurs had captured the movie-going zeitgeist. We’d been through an alien invasion and a disaster movie fad since then and had moved on. We’d cloned a sheep and science was continuing to demystify genetic engineering. If the franchise was going to remain relevant it would have to present us with a new idea,...
- 6/10/2015
- by Charlie Sanford
- SoundOnSight
The fourth Jp movie gets a new director: indie filmmaker Trevorrow Colin Trevorrow, whose well-received, (very) low-budget, independently made feature Safety Not Guaranteed won the Screenwriting Award at last year's Sundance Festival, has been named the director of the upcoming Jurassic Park sequel Jurassic Park 4. (Pictured above: Nope, that's not Trevorrow, but the 1993 Jurassic Park's imposing star, Mr. Tyrannosaurus Rex.) Now, why would Universal and executive producer Steven Spielberg bring this particular indie filmmaker aboard the billionaire Jp frachise? Well, why specifically Trevorrow is impossible to say. Yet, it seems clear that his handling of a science-fiction narrative about time travel played an important role in his selection. Another plus: He was surely cheaper than bigger names associated with action films. And let's not forget another crucial aspect of his selection: The director, whose innovative Safety Not Guaranteed was warmly greeted by critics, may bring to the increasingly paleozoic (i.
- 3/15/2013
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
Peter Buchman ("Che," "Jurassic Park III") has been hired to rewrite the political thriller "A Man Must Die" at Focus Features.
Based on a true story, the story deals with the 1970's assassination of Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier, a man targeted and killed via a car bomb in Washington D.C. by agents of the Pinochet regime.
The film will follow the FBI investigator who starts to suspect a government conspiracy surrounding the murder.
Gerardo Naranjo, who helmed Miss Bala, wrote the original screenplay. Pablo Cruz is producing
Source: Deadline...
Based on a true story, the story deals with the 1970's assassination of Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier, a man targeted and killed via a car bomb in Washington D.C. by agents of the Pinochet regime.
The film will follow the FBI investigator who starts to suspect a government conspiracy surrounding the murder.
Gerardo Naranjo, who helmed Miss Bala, wrote the original screenplay. Pablo Cruz is producing
Source: Deadline...
- 11/21/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Peter Buchman is set to rewrite Focus Features’ political thriller A Man Must Die for director Gerardo Naranjo. Pablo Cruz is producing through Canana USA. Based on a true story, A Man Must Die surrounds the assassination of Orlando Letelier, a Chilean diplomat in the 1970’s who was targeted and killed in Washington D.C. by agents of the Pinochet regime. This story focuses on the FBI investigator who starts to suspect a government conspiracy surrounding the murder. Naranjo, who helmed Miss Bala, wrote the original screenplay. Buchman scripted both of the Che films for director Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro. Most recently, Buchman wrote the apocalyptic sci-fi film The Edge for Fox, which John Moore is attached to direct. Buchman’s credits include Jurassic Park III and Eragon. The scribe is repped by UTA, manager Tobin Babst at Kaplan/Perrone and attorneys Alan Wertheimer and Darren Trattner.
- 11/20/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING JR.
- Deadline
Updated: And as quickly as that Variety say Forster is no longer attached to the project. He is off the film as quickly as that;
Helmer Marc Forster is no longer attached to World War II drama “The War Magician.”
The project, set up at Lonetree Entertainment, is based on David Fisher’s best-selling book and tells the story of real-life British magician Jasper Maskelyne, who adapted the core principles of stage magic to World War II. Forster had been eying the project but is no longer involved, his reps confirmed Thursday.
Previously eyed as a starring vehicle for Tom Cruise and later a potential project for director Peter Weir, Variety reports that Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Machine Gun Preacher) is the latest who has plans to helm The War Magician, a fascinating World War II saga of illusion.
The film is based on the best-selling non-fiction book by...
Helmer Marc Forster is no longer attached to World War II drama “The War Magician.”
The project, set up at Lonetree Entertainment, is based on David Fisher’s best-selling book and tells the story of real-life British magician Jasper Maskelyne, who adapted the core principles of stage magic to World War II. Forster had been eying the project but is no longer involved, his reps confirmed Thursday.
Previously eyed as a starring vehicle for Tom Cruise and later a potential project for director Peter Weir, Variety reports that Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Machine Gun Preacher) is the latest who has plans to helm The War Magician, a fascinating World War II saga of illusion.
The film is based on the best-selling non-fiction book by...
- 2/2/2012
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
The wait is finally over to experience one of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time like never before when Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III debut as a trilogy set on Blu-ray. October 25, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Wamg has Two special copies to giveaway!
Official Rules: 1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses. 2. Fill Out Your Real Name And Email Address Below. 3. Answer The Following Question: In a battle, who do you want in your corner and why – Velociraptor or T-Rex? Best answer wins… Winners Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged. Contest Will End On Friday, November 4th 11:59pm Cst.
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg.s award-winning cinematic franchise, based on the best-selling book by Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion combined at the worldwide...
Official Rules: 1. You Must Be A Us Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To Us Addresses. 2. Fill Out Your Real Name And Email Address Below. 3. Answer The Following Question: In a battle, who do you want in your corner and why – Velociraptor or T-Rex? Best answer wins… Winners Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary. Prizes Will Not Be Substituted Or Exchanged. Contest Will End On Friday, November 4th 11:59pm Cst.
Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg.s award-winning cinematic franchise, based on the best-selling book by Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion combined at the worldwide...
- 10/27/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I think I may have actually felt a little bit of wee come out earlier when we heard the news that the legendary legends (!) from Universal Studios have decided to bring Jurassic Park back to the cinema! They did it with Back to the Future and it as one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve ever had!
We were all geared up for the Blu-ray release but not we find out that it’s coming back to the cinema. I don’t usually like putting up press releases in full because they can often be boring But anything to do with Jurassic Park being remastered and coming to the big screen is far from boring! There’s also a few pics of the full box set which I’ve placed below so scroll down and read on to find out all your need to know about one of the...
We were all geared up for the Blu-ray release but not we find out that it’s coming back to the cinema. I don’t usually like putting up press releases in full because they can often be boring But anything to do with Jurassic Park being remastered and coming to the big screen is far from boring! There’s also a few pics of the full box set which I’ve placed below so scroll down and read on to find out all your need to know about one of the...
- 8/26/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Universal Home Entertainment has announced that the Jurassic Park trilogy will be coming to Blu-ray this fall, with some T-rex-sized bonus features, and an awesome gift set edition, complete with a custom T-rex dino statue. Check out all the details below!
Official Press Release:
One of the Most Thrilling & Groundbreaking Motion-Picture Trilogies of All Time Roars onto Blu-ray™ with Breathtaking
New High-Definition Picture & Perfect Sound Jurassic Park All Three Epic Adventures from Filmmaker Steven Spielberg Plus More Than Two Hours of All-New Bonus Features
Available on Blu-ray™ For the First Time Ever On October 25, 2011 “You won’t believe your eyes!”—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“A triumph of special effects artistry!”—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Universal City, California, June 27, 2011 – The wait is finally over to experience one of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time like never before when Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III...
Official Press Release:
One of the Most Thrilling & Groundbreaking Motion-Picture Trilogies of All Time Roars onto Blu-ray™ with Breathtaking
New High-Definition Picture & Perfect Sound Jurassic Park All Three Epic Adventures from Filmmaker Steven Spielberg Plus More Than Two Hours of All-New Bonus Features
Available on Blu-ray™ For the First Time Ever On October 25, 2011 “You won’t believe your eyes!”—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“A triumph of special effects artistry!”—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Universal City, California, June 27, 2011 – The wait is finally over to experience one of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time like never before when Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III...
- 6/28/2011
- by Jason Moore
- ScifiMafia
One Of The Most Thrilling & Groundbreaking Motion-picture Trilogies Of All Time Roars Onto Blu-ray. With Breathtaking New High-definition Picture & Perfect Sound Jurassic Park
All Three Epic Adventures From Filmmaker Steven Spielberg Plus More Than Two Hours Of All-new Bonus Features Available On Blu-ray For The First Time Ever On October 25, 2011
“You won’t believe your eyes!” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“A triumph of special effects artistry!” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Universal City, California, June 27, 2011 - The wait is finally over to experience one of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time like never before when Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III debut as a trilogy set on Blu-ray. October 25, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s award-winning cinematic franchise, based on the best-selling book by Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion combined at the worldwide box office and featured groundbreaking visual effects...
All Three Epic Adventures From Filmmaker Steven Spielberg Plus More Than Two Hours Of All-new Bonus Features Available On Blu-ray For The First Time Ever On October 25, 2011
“You won’t believe your eyes!” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“A triumph of special effects artistry!” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Universal City, California, June 27, 2011 - The wait is finally over to experience one of the most anticipated motion-picture trilogies of all time like never before when Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III debut as a trilogy set on Blu-ray. October 25, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s award-winning cinematic franchise, based on the best-selling book by Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion combined at the worldwide box office and featured groundbreaking visual effects...
- 6/27/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A new still from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, and a new photo of Stephen Lang's villain character in Conan the Barbarian.
New domestic one-sheets for Fast Five, Beautiful Boy, Midnight in Paris, Natural Selection and Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.
"Reshoots on "Captain America: The First Avenger" are scheduled to take place in the UK next month. How extensive these reshoots are is unknown…" (full details)
"I Am Number Four" director D.J. Caruso has put out his casting wish list for the "Preacher" film adaptation he's working on next. This includes Chris Pine as Jesse Custer, Shia Labeouf as Arseface and Alex Pettyfer as the Saint of Killers...." (full details)
"Jonathan Demme's heartfelt dramedy "Honeymoon With Harry" at New Line, which was to re-team "Limitless" stars Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, is said to be all but dead due to De Niro's reluctance to sign on…...
New domestic one-sheets for Fast Five, Beautiful Boy, Midnight in Paris, Natural Selection and Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.
"Reshoots on "Captain America: The First Avenger" are scheduled to take place in the UK next month. How extensive these reshoots are is unknown…" (full details)
"I Am Number Four" director D.J. Caruso has put out his casting wish list for the "Preacher" film adaptation he's working on next. This includes Chris Pine as Jesse Custer, Shia Labeouf as Arseface and Alex Pettyfer as the Saint of Killers...." (full details)
"Jonathan Demme's heartfelt dramedy "Honeymoon With Harry" at New Line, which was to re-team "Limitless" stars Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, is said to be all but dead due to De Niro's reluctance to sign on…...
- 3/19/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
On Monday we heard about a couple sci-fi pitches that had been picked up by studios [1], with the general box office success of Battle: Lost Angeles probably not hurting that process. Now two more have been picked up. Fox grabbed a new story idea from Jurassic Park III writer Peter Buchman, and Paramount grabbed the new pitch from Brian Miller, who wrote [2] the low-budget 'found footage' sci-fi thriller Apollo 18. What little info we have on each is after the jump. Fox grabbed the pitch by Peter Buchman, of which THR [3] says "there could be a sci-fi element." John Moore, who directed Max Payne, The Omen remake and Behind Enemy Lines, is attached to direct. (He's also been attached to Final Orbit [4], Ice Road Truckers based on the History Channel reality TV series, and Kidnap, but all are either still in development or dead.) We don't know the scale of this film,...
- 3/17/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Paris -- Top U.S. screenwriters will be pushing their scripts over the borderline when the third annual "France: Unlimited Access" program kicks off on Sept. 19th in Metz and Nantes, French film commission Film France announced Monday.
After a first edition in Paris, Marseille and Provence followed by last year's romp through French Polynesia, this year, the program is titled "Cities on the Borders: Metz & Nantes."
Ten of Hollywood's finest scribes have been selected for the eight-day program organized by Film France and the Los Angeles Film and Television Office of the French Embassy with the help of the Lorraine and Loire Valley regions and several sponsors.
This year's crop of studio-friendly screenwriters includes: Stuart Beattie ("Collateral," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Derailed," "3:10 to Yuma," "Australia," "G.I. Joe."), John Brancato and Michael Ferris ("The Game," "Terminator 3," "Terminator 4," "The Net," "Clones" and the upcoming "xXx3."), Peter Buchman ("Che"), Katherine Fugate ("Valentine's Day,...
After a first edition in Paris, Marseille and Provence followed by last year's romp through French Polynesia, this year, the program is titled "Cities on the Borders: Metz & Nantes."
Ten of Hollywood's finest scribes have been selected for the eight-day program organized by Film France and the Los Angeles Film and Television Office of the French Embassy with the help of the Lorraine and Loire Valley regions and several sponsors.
This year's crop of studio-friendly screenwriters includes: Stuart Beattie ("Collateral," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Derailed," "3:10 to Yuma," "Australia," "G.I. Joe."), John Brancato and Michael Ferris ("The Game," "Terminator 3," "Terminator 4," "The Net," "Clones" and the upcoming "xXx3."), Peter Buchman ("Che"), Katherine Fugate ("Valentine's Day,...
- 9/13/2010
- by By Rebecca Leffler
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fresh from their work on bum-numbing bi-epic Che, Benecio Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh and writer Peter Buchman are set to reconvene for mafia thriller Making Jack Falcone. Soderbergh will only be on production duties this time, with no director attached as yet, whilst Buchman will again be looking after the script. The news we’re most excited about though is the casting of Del Toro as real-life FBI man Jack Garcia, who infiltrated the notorious Gambino crime family under the wiseguy alias of ‘Jack Falcone’...
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- 3/9/2010
- by George Wales
- TotalFilm
Jack Garcia was a Cuban-born FBI agent. He was also an investor in a strip club, a jewel thief and an extortionist. No, he wasn.t moonlighting to make some extra cash; he was in the business of undercover investigation. He participated in 100 covert operations, but none could compare to the degree of dedication required to infiltrate the Gambino Crime family. Under the alias Jack Falcone, Garcia successfully took down 39 members of the infamous New York crime organization. According to Deadline Hollywood, a movie about Garcia is in the works and it.ll star Benicio del Toro. The project will reunite del Toro with his Che writer and director, Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh. Buchman penned the script and Soderbergh, who.s currently fishing for a director, is on board to produce. The duo originally had Making Jack Falcone set up at Paramount, but Dh predicts the studio will soon...
- 3/5/2010
- cinemablend.com
Benicio Del Toro has signed to play g-man Jack Garcia in Making Jack Falcone. Garcia targeted the Gambino family, and was responsible for taking down dozens of made men. Garcia is Cuban-born, but managed to play an Italian so successfully that he was invited to become a made man himself. Steven Soderbergh is producing the film, with a script by Che screenwriter Peter Buchman based on Garcia's memoir about the Gambino operation. Garcia also worked a lot of other undercover jobs for the FBI -- a surprising thing given that he hardly blends into a crowd. At 6'4" and 390 pounds, he's exactly the opposite of the image typically held of a guy who can worm into many different organizations. But Garcia is charming, too -- take a look at the 60 Minutes interview clip embedded after the break to see what he's like. [Deadline Hollywood] After the break, four voices for ...
- 3/5/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Potentially his generation's Ben Kingsley, "Wolfman" star Benicio Del Toro is one of those actors who could pass for just about any ethnicity on film. Though he hasn't stretched out as much as he's capable of yet, the Puerto Rico-born Oscar-winner did go as far as playing a Samoan in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." But is he enough of a chameleon that he could fool the Mafia? He'll at least have to seem so in a new film called "Making Jack Falcone."
According to Deadline Hollywood, Del Toro will sort of play the title character. He'll star as real-life FBI agent Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, who went undercover using the alias Jack Falcone in order to infiltrate the Gambino crime family. Despite being Cuba-born American with Italian lineage, Garcia was convincing enough as Falcone to become only the second FBI agent in history to be offered the position of...
According to Deadline Hollywood, Del Toro will sort of play the title character. He'll star as real-life FBI agent Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, who went undercover using the alias Jack Falcone in order to infiltrate the Gambino crime family. Despite being Cuba-born American with Italian lineage, Garcia was convincing enough as Falcone to become only the second FBI agent in history to be offered the position of...
- 3/5/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- MTV Movies Blog
Benecio Del Toro has signed on to star in "Making Jack Falcone" reports Deadline Hollywood Daily.
The project is based on the true story of retired Cuban-born FBI agent Jack Garcia who infiltrated the New York mafia with such success that they were about to make him a "made man." His work led to the arrest of 39 members of the New York mafia.
The project marks a reunion of sorts with three key personnel behind 2008's "Che" - del Toro, director Steven Soderbergh and writer Peter Buchman. Buchman will pen the script but unlike "Che", Soderbergh is only expected to produce rather than direct.
The project is based on the true story of retired Cuban-born FBI agent Jack Garcia who infiltrated the New York mafia with such success that they were about to make him a "made man." His work led to the arrest of 39 members of the New York mafia.
The project marks a reunion of sorts with three key personnel behind 2008's "Che" - del Toro, director Steven Soderbergh and writer Peter Buchman. Buchman will pen the script but unlike "Che", Soderbergh is only expected to produce rather than direct.
- 3/5/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Even though The Wolfman turned out to be a tragic disappointment, not much blame, if any, can be placed on Benicio Del Toro, who turned in a decent performance. Now Del Toro's moving to a more recent past as Deadline reports he has signed on to portray real-life FBI undercover agent Jack (or Joaquin) Garcia in the crime drama Making Jack Falcone focusing on the agents exploits in taking down no less than 39 members of New York's Gambino crime family. Crime stories are a dime a dozen, so what do Del Toro and producers Steven Soderbergh and Peter Buchman (Che) find so interesting about this one? Read on! Unlike the focus of countless other undercover police dramas highlighting the dilemma of loyalty and the stress of pretending to be just one fake criminal, Garcia had the difficult task of keeping several undercover identities straight. He would go from the New...
- 3/5/2010
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Benicio Del Toro is to play real-life undercover FBI Agent Jack Garcia in 'Making Jack Falconem,' which is based on the book of the same name. Peter Buchman (Che) is wrting the script.
No director or production start date has been announced but the film is being produced by Steven Soderbergh.
At 6'4" and 375 pounds, Jack Garcia looked the part of a mobster, and he played his part so perfectly that his Mafia bosses never suspected he was an undercover agent for the FBI. 'Big Jack Falcone', as he was known inside La Cosa Nostra, learned all the inside dirt about the Gambino organized crime syndicate and its illegal activities - from extortion and loan-sharking to assault and murder. The result was a string of busts and a quarter of a million dollar contract put out on his life.
No director or production start date has been announced but the film is being produced by Steven Soderbergh.
At 6'4" and 375 pounds, Jack Garcia looked the part of a mobster, and he played his part so perfectly that his Mafia bosses never suspected he was an undercover agent for the FBI. 'Big Jack Falcone', as he was known inside La Cosa Nostra, learned all the inside dirt about the Gambino organized crime syndicate and its illegal activities - from extortion and loan-sharking to assault and murder. The result was a string of busts and a quarter of a million dollar contract put out on his life.
- 3/5/2010
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
Benicio Del Toro is a solid actor of Latin descent (he probably has that Puerto Rican fire in his belly, which is why rumors of his elevator romance with...you know what, I better shut up), so after shaking my head at Wolfman for offering no justification as to what type of crazy Latin woman had to birth Del Toro's chacter from the white-as-white genetic contribution from born-in-Wales Anthony Hopkins, I'm ready for something I can really sink my teeth into as a fan.Could Making Jack Falcone be that picture? I certainly hope so.Del Toro will reunite with Steven Soderbergh and Peter Buchman, the writer/director team behind the epic Ché films. Soderbergh will produce Flacone and Buchman will pen the script.Based on the real life story of Cuban-born Fed Jack Garcia, the film will tell of Garcia's undercover operation with the Gambino family where his Falcone...
- 3/4/2010
- LRMonline.com
Chicago – Steven Soderbergh’s “Che” is one of the most underrated and misunderstood films of the ’00s. It features not only one of the best performances of the last several years from the great Benicio Del Toro but this challenging biopic should have been embraced by all the critics and audience members who are constantly lamenting the lack of filmmakers willing to take risks and provoke discussion.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
With an amazing output in just three months - “Che,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” and “The Informant!” - arguably the most essential American filmmaker continues to prove that great auteurs need not come with standard expectations. His most challenging film, the two-part, four-hour “Che,” has been inducted into the Criterion Collection and the result is one of the best Blu-ray releases of the last twelve months. Only the video transfer is mildly disappointing, but that’s likely un-fixable. More on that later,...
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0
With an amazing output in just three months - “Che,” “The Girlfriend Experience,” and “The Informant!” - arguably the most essential American filmmaker continues to prove that great auteurs need not come with standard expectations. His most challenging film, the two-part, four-hour “Che,” has been inducted into the Criterion Collection and the result is one of the best Blu-ray releases of the last twelve months. Only the video transfer is mildly disappointing, but that’s likely un-fixable. More on that later,...
- 1/27/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
I was recently asked if Criterion's Blu-ray release of Che was worth a blind buy. It's a tough question because for some the film itself is worthy, but if you ask me it's not all that great. I gave it a C+ when I reviewed it back in December 2008, noting the first part as the better of the two films and my opinion on that front hasn't changed since then. Steven Soderbergh's four-and-a-half-hour two-part biopic on the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is a slightly above average film, but Criterion has done its absolute best to make sure the home video release delivers where the film doesn't and is worthy of your time and money.
I say this because the special features and included commentary by John Lee Anderson, chief consultant on Che and author of the well known biography "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life", not only...
I say this because the special features and included commentary by John Lee Anderson, chief consultant on Che and author of the well known biography "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life", not only...
- 1/19/2010
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Steven Soderbergh's Che was met both praise and derision upon being unleashed in 2008. After a long wait, The Criterion Collection (in conjunction with IFC) has issued a three DVD box set and two disc Blu-Ray set of the film. The naysayers are entitled to their opinions, but as Criterion's exquisite home video release demonstrates, Che is a technically accomplished and intellectually rigorous film that stands as one of the more important works in Soderbergh's filmography.
Che is divided into two parts (135 and 136 minutes, respectively), which are included on two separate DVDs. The two films are different in style and tone, but combine to form an epic rise-and-fall story. The map sequences that open each part of Che serve as a guide to the film geographical and temporal structure and serves as indicator of its epic scope.
Part One (released as The Argentine in Europe) chronicles Ernesto Che Guevara's participation...
Che is divided into two parts (135 and 136 minutes, respectively), which are included on two separate DVDs. The two films are different in style and tone, but combine to form an epic rise-and-fall story. The map sequences that open each part of Che serve as a guide to the film geographical and temporal structure and serves as indicator of its epic scope.
Part One (released as The Argentine in Europe) chronicles Ernesto Che Guevara's participation...
- 1/15/2010
- Screen Anarchy
It's been a long time coming, but Steven Soderbergh's two-part biopic about Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara will finally get the full DVD and Blu-ray release that it deserves this coming January. Apparently they had hoped to have it ready for December, but Soderbergh needed extra time to reconstruct deleted scenes and prepare some of the supplementary material. In the words of Criterion president Peter Becker, the delay was "a trade we will always make, even if it means we don't get the benefit of sales in the holiday season, and we think that's the kind of decision our collectors would want us to make". Kudos to Criterion for that. The extras on this release will include the following: High-definition digital transfers of Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-hd Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition Audio commentaries on both films,...
- 10/26/2009
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Release Date: Jan. 24
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Peter Buchman
Cinematographer: Peter Andrews
Starring: Benicio Del Toro
Studio/Run Time: IFC Films, 257 mins.
Soderbergh and Del Toro treat Che’s life as a realist epic
It’s simply audacious to make a four-hour-plus film about the guerrilla struggles of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara without ever really speaking of Guevara’s life as a doctor, his eye-opening motorcycle trips across South America, his family, his relationship with Fidel Castro or his work in the Cuban government. And that’s exactly what director Steven Soderbergh has done. But consider Guevara himself, who was far more than audacious. He was, after all, Che. Played by a fully engaged Benicio Del Toro, Guevara is full-on iconic from Soderbergh’s first black-and-white pan across him.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Peter Buchman
Cinematographer: Peter Andrews
Starring: Benicio Del Toro
Studio/Run Time: IFC Films, 257 mins.
Soderbergh and Del Toro treat Che’s life as a realist epic
It’s simply audacious to make a four-hour-plus film about the guerrilla struggles of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara without ever really speaking of Guevara’s life as a doctor, his eye-opening motorcycle trips across South America, his family, his relationship with Fidel Castro or his work in the Cuban government. And that’s exactly what director Steven Soderbergh has done. But consider Guevara himself, who was far more than audacious. He was, after all, Che. Played by a fully engaged Benicio Del Toro, Guevara is full-on iconic from Soderbergh’s first black-and-white pan across him.
- 1/30/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
Cheby Steve Ramos, Writer Of the Holiday releases, Steven Soderbergh's 'Che' is an epic for all time The most unlikely of the prestige, Holiday, releases is also the most satisfying of the year-end films looking for critical awards. "Che," two companion Spanish-language films telling the story of Latino revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara (Benicio del Toro) celebrates the best qualities of veteran filmmaker Steven Soderbergh. He is a director well skilled at large-scale storytelling. At the same time, "Che" shows Soderbergh's talent for pushing the creative boundaries of filmmaking and for taking chances. He's a great experimenter and it's hard to imagine any other working American director with the courage to tell Guevara's incredible story in such an epic manner. The two films combine to make a 262-minute length story (not counting a 20-minute intermission when I watch the films). The first movie tells the story of Guevara...
- 12/5/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New images have been added from "Che" starring Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Franka Potente, Julia Ormond, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edgar Ramirez, Jordi Mollà, Kahlil Mendez, Octavio Gómez and Yul Vazquez. Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh directs the screenplay by Peter Buchman and Benjamin A. van der Vean based on the Bolivian diary penned by Ernesto Guevera (Che). "Che" won the Best Actor award for Del Toro at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was a Golden Palm nominee. The film opens in limited areas on December 12th.
- 12/3/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New images have been added from "Che" starring Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Franka Potente, Julia Ormond, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edgar Ramirez, Jordi Mollà, Kahlil Mendez, Octavio Gómez and Yul Vazquez. Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh directs the screenplay by Peter Buchman and Benjamin A. van der Vean based on the Bolivian diary penned by Ernesto Guevera (Che). "Che" won the Best Actor award for Del Toro at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was a Golden Palm nominee. The film opens in limited areas on December 12th.
- 12/3/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New images have been added from "Che" starring Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Franka Potente, Julia Ormond, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edgar Ramirez, Jordi Mollà, Kahlil Mendez, Octavio Gómez and Yul Vazquez. Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh directs the screenplay by Peter Buchman and Benjamin A. van der Vean based on the Bolivian diary penned by Ernesto Guevera (Che). "Che" won the Best Actor award for Del Toro at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was a Golden Palm nominee. The film opens in limited areas on December 12th. See all the images here. Checkout the trailer here. What Steven Soderbergh says about "Che": "I was drawn to Che as a subject for a movie (or two) not only because his life reads like an adventure story, but because I am fascinated by the technical challenges that go along with implementing any large-scale political idea. I wanted to detail...
- 12/3/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
New images have been added from "Che" starring Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Franka Potente, Julia Ormond, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edgar Ramirez, Jordi Mollà, Kahlil Mendez, Octavio Gómez and Yul Vazquez. Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh directs the screenplay by Peter Buchman and Benjamin A. van der Vean based on the Bolivian diary penned by Ernesto Guevera (Che). "Che" won the Best Actor award for Del Toro at this year's Cannes Film Festival and was a Golden Palm nominee. The film opens in limited areas on December 12th.
- 12/3/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Another really powerful poster has been recently released by Empire magazine. This is England’s official teaser poster for the film, making it one of the first English language posters we have seen since the film started playing in various North American film festivals. Che is film about Ernest Che Guevara, the Argentinian revolutionary and Marxist icon, and is becoming more and more controversial by the day. I like the Tagline on the poster which gives the whole thing a sharp look.
Che is a true life historical epic made up of two individual films that chronicle the life of revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara. Both films are directed by Steven Soderbergh, of Traffic, The Good German, and the Ocean’s Trilogy. The screenplays are based on Che’s actual memoirs written by Peter Buchman. IFC Films is releasing both films together in limited theatres on December 12 th followed by...
(more.
Che is a true life historical epic made up of two individual films that chronicle the life of revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara. Both films are directed by Steven Soderbergh, of Traffic, The Good German, and the Ocean’s Trilogy. The screenplays are based on Che’s actual memoirs written by Peter Buchman. IFC Films is releasing both films together in limited theatres on December 12 th followed by...
(more.
- 11/11/2008
- by John
- ReelSuave.com
Che collaborators Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh are reteaming for Making Jack Falcone, an undercover mob story that has been set up at Paramount.
The Hollywood Reporter says Buchman is writing the script, and Soderbergh will executive produce the film. It tells the story of Joaquin Jack Garcia, also known as Jack Falcone, A Cuban American FBI agent who successfully went undercover in the Gambino crime family.
Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher will produce via their Double Feature Films. Soderbergh is said to be on board to read drafts of the script and offer other guidance on the project.
Falcone is based on the eponymous Simon and Schuster/Touchstone novel published last month.
Related Headlines ...
(more...)...
The Hollywood Reporter says Buchman is writing the script, and Soderbergh will executive produce the film. It tells the story of Joaquin Jack Garcia, also known as Jack Falcone, A Cuban American FBI agent who successfully went undercover in the Gambino crime family.
Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher will produce via their Double Feature Films. Soderbergh is said to be on board to read drafts of the script and offer other guidance on the project.
Falcone is based on the eponymous Simon and Schuster/Touchstone novel published last month.
Related Headlines ...
(more...)...
- 11/5/2008
- by John
- ReelSuave.com
You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say that Steven Soderbergh was having a bit of a 'creative crisis' lately (talk about a guy who is all over the map). But, it hasn't stopped him from taking on more 'traditional projects' like a good old-fashioned mob film. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Soderbergh is teaming with Paramount to produce an adaptation of Joaquin "Jack" Garcia's true-life mob story, Making Jack Falcone. According to THR, Soderbergh will not direct, but will be "on board to read drafts of the script and offer other guidance on the project."
Che collaborator Peter Buchman has already signed to adapt the story of an FBI agent sent to take down the infamous Gambino crime family. The book is based on Garcia's (also known as Jack Falcone) life undercover, and how he managed to climb through the ranks of the FBI to...
Che collaborator Peter Buchman has already signed to adapt the story of an FBI agent sent to take down the infamous Gambino crime family. The book is based on Garcia's (also known as Jack Falcone) life undercover, and how he managed to climb through the ranks of the FBI to...
- 11/5/2008
- by Jessica Barnes
- Cinematical
Steven Soderbergh and Peter Buchman are teaming up for Paramount’s “Making Jack Falcone,” a film based on an undercover mob story.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project follows Joaquin “Jack” Garcia aka. Jack Flacone, a Cuban-American FBI agent who went undercover in the Gambino crime clan.
The trade also says Garcia, now retired, is one of the few FBI agents to nearly become a made man in the mob.
Buchman, who worked with Soderbergh on his “Che” films, is writing the script based on a recently published book. Soderbergh will serve as executive producer on the project.
Soderbergh is currently working on the post-production for “The Informant” with Matt Damon. He’s also wrapping up his low-budget drama “The Girlfriend Experience.”...
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project follows Joaquin “Jack” Garcia aka. Jack Flacone, a Cuban-American FBI agent who went undercover in the Gambino crime clan.
The trade also says Garcia, now retired, is one of the few FBI agents to nearly become a made man in the mob.
Buchman, who worked with Soderbergh on his “Che” films, is writing the script based on a recently published book. Soderbergh will serve as executive producer on the project.
Soderbergh is currently working on the post-production for “The Informant” with Matt Damon. He’s also wrapping up his low-budget drama “The Girlfriend Experience.”...
- 11/4/2008
- by Franck Tabouring
- screeninglog.com
Che scribe Peter Buchman will be re-teaming with Steven Soderbergh for yet another biopic titled Making Jack Falcone. Buchman will write the script and Soderbergh will executive produce the story of Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, a Cuban-American FBI agent who successfully infiltrated the Gambino crime family under the pseudonym Jack Falcone and was on the brink of becoming a "made man" when the FBI decided they had enough evidence to starting arresting and convicting. Garcia was...
- 11/4/2008
- by Omar Aviles
- JoBlo.com
Steven Soderbergh has been topping the headlines quite a bit recently. In addition to his Che epic gaining more and more buzz every week, we recently announced that he would direct a 3-D rock 'n roll Cleopatra musical next April. Soderbergh has launched another project, this one titled Making Jack Falcone, an undercover mob story based on Joaquin "Jack" Garcia's bestselling book. Soderbergh has brought on his Che collaborator Peter Buchman for the adaptation that is being developed at Paramount. However, Soderbergh is not actually set to direct - he is only executive producing, while Buchman is writing, although Soderbergh will read drafts of the script and offer guidance on the project. The book, "Making Jack Falcone", published last month, has already hit the top of the New York Times extended bestseller list. The story is about Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, also known as Jack Falcone, a Cuban-American FBI agent who...
- 11/4/2008
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Che is barely in theaters and we're already hearing about a follow up - thankfully not in the form of a sequel though. Instead the writer/producer team of Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh are working together on another film, switching from one Cuban revolutionary to another - one that successfully infiltrated the mob. Hollywood Reporter announced the project, Making Jack Falcone, which will tell the story of Jack Falcone aka Joaquin Garcia, an FBI agent who almost became a made man after going undercover and infiltrating the Gambino crime family. The trade newspaper offered that the story based on Garcia's life, and the man's ability to shift between Sicilian, Cuban, and other ethnicities, should be very appealing to actors adept at transforming themselves for a role. Buchman will write Making Jack Falcone, based on the Simon & Schuster / Touchstone book released last month. Soderbergh will serve as executive producer, offering...
- 11/4/2008
- cinemablend.com
Che collaborators Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh are reteaming for Making Jack Falcone, an undercover mob story that has been set up at Paramount, says the trades. Buchman is writing the script, and Soderbergh will executive produce the project, which tells the story of Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, also known as Jack Falcone, a Cuban-American FBI agent who successfully went undercover in the Gambino crime family. Michael Shamberg (Man on the Moon) and Stacey Sher (World Trade Center) will produce via their Double Feature Films banner. Soderbergh is said to be on board to read drafts of the script and offer other guidance on the project. Garcia, now retired, is one of the few FBI agents to nearly become a made man in the mob. He assumed a host of aliases from New York to Miami, and his ability to shape-shift between Sicilian, Cuban and other ethnicities is expected to provide...
- 11/4/2008
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
"Che" collaborators Peter Buchman and Steven Soderbergh are reteaming for "Making Jack Falcone," an undercover mob story that has been set up at Paramount.
Buchman is writing the script, and Soderbergh will executive produce the project, which tells the story of Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, also known as Jack Falcone, a Cuban-American FBI agent who successfully went undercover in the Gambino crime family.
Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher will produce via their Double Feature Films banner. Soderbergh is said to be on board to read drafts of the script and offer other guidance on the project.
"Falcone" is based on the eponymous Simon & Schuster/Touchstone tome published last month that, after a barrage of publicity that included a "60 Minutes" segment, has landed on the New York Times extended best-seller list.
Garcia, now retired, is one of the few FBI agents to nearly become a made man in the mob. He assumed...
Buchman is writing the script, and Soderbergh will executive produce the project, which tells the story of Joaquin "Jack" Garcia, also known as Jack Falcone, a Cuban-American FBI agent who successfully went undercover in the Gambino crime family.
Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher will produce via their Double Feature Films banner. Soderbergh is said to be on board to read drafts of the script and offer other guidance on the project.
"Falcone" is based on the eponymous Simon & Schuster/Touchstone tome published last month that, after a barrage of publicity that included a "60 Minutes" segment, has landed on the New York Times extended best-seller list.
Garcia, now retired, is one of the few FBI agents to nearly become a made man in the mob. He assumed...
- 11/4/2008
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Two new posters of Steven Sodenbergh’s Che double feature were posted in France. The movie will be split into two films so there have been two films out for the movie. This is the first couple of traces of buzz this movie has started to generate.
The poster features Aleida Guevara played by Catalina Sandino Moreno which doesn’t seem to be something really good. She is important to Che’s life (he eventually marries her), but she only really shows up half way through the movie.
Che is a true life historical epic made up of two individual films (The Argentine and Guerrilla) that chronicles the life of revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevera. They are both directed by Steven Soderbergh, of Traffic, The Good German and the Ocean’s trilogy previously. The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman, of Jurassic Park III and Eragon previously, and is based on Guevara’s memoirs.
The poster features Aleida Guevara played by Catalina Sandino Moreno which doesn’t seem to be something really good. She is important to Che’s life (he eventually marries her), but she only really shows up half way through the movie.
Che is a true life historical epic made up of two individual films (The Argentine and Guerrilla) that chronicles the life of revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevera. They are both directed by Steven Soderbergh, of Traffic, The Good German and the Ocean’s trilogy previously. The screenplay was written by Peter Buchman, of Jurassic Park III and Eragon previously, and is based on Guevara’s memoirs.
- 10/12/2008
- by John
- ReelSuave.com
The irrepressibly multi-tasking Steven Soderbergh has now set his roving sights on Latin American revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, with mostly positive results. If this earnest, two-part biopic with a total running time of 268 minutes sometimes lacks cinematic flair, the straight-ahead, chronologically-driven film will inform and, to a somewhat lesser extent, excite viewers everywhere.
It's hard to imagine how the two-parter idea is going to strike distributors and exhibitors, however, and, since the film lacked any opening or closing credits at its Cannes premiere, it may very well be that it is destined for a venue like HBO or Showtime. In any case, ancillary sales should be excellent in all markets.
The two parts are radically different in subject-matter and, a bit less so, in form. It's clear that the overriding structural idea is that of a mirror image: Part One, much more humorous, concerns the victory over Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and is all up, up, up, while Part Two is about Guevara's participation in the failed uprising in Bolivia and is all down, down, down.
In Cuba, Fidel and Che are loved by the peasantry and become god-like figures; in Bolivia, Che, forced to use an assumed name, is frustratingly unable to rally the people to his side and is hunted like an animal by the Bolivian army. In the most powerful segment of the entire film, he is finally murdered after being betrayed by one of his beloved campesinos.
The heart of the film is the robust yet subtle portrayal of the asthma-stricken revolutionary by Del Toro. He is an idealist who obviously really believes in the possibility of equality between human beings, but Soderbergh is mostly content to show repeated examples of his benevolence rather than develop its potentially complex contradictions.
Both parts are organized in a flattening, strictly chronological manner, with dozens upon dozens of intertitles that fix time and place, though Part One is also interspersed with a post-revolution, black-and-white interview with a North American journalist which adds Che's political perspectives. Scenes set in the United Nations, where Che delivers a firebrand speech, are among the best in this part.
Part Two seems to go on forever, with tiny, doomed, most indistinguishable skirmishes following one after the other (this part could use some serious trimming). Yet it's inherently more interesting than its counterpart because it is, first of all, played in a tragic rather than triumphant key, and second, because the story it documents is much less well-known.
Some minor things may annoy some audience members. While Matt Damon's one-minute part as a gringo missionary is serviceable, nevertheless his sudden appearance in a film filled with mostly unknown actors comes as a laugh-producing shock. Franka Potente has a small role as a guerrilla in Bolivia and, dubbed into Spanish, seems utterly uncomfortable in every scene. Latin American sources have told this reviewer that the Puerto-Rican born Del Toro doesn't even attempt to reproduce Che's trademark Argentinian accent in Spanish. But of course these will be slight or invisible flaws for the vast majority of those who will see this film.
All in all, it's a highly worthwhile, professionally-accomplished project, but in its obsessive devotion to precise documentation, the film forgets to inspire.
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demian Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Elvira Minguez, Jorge Perugorria, Edgar Ramirez, Victor Rasuk, Franka Potente, Matt Damon. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Screenwriters: Peter Buchman . Producers: Laura Bickford, Benicio Del Toro. Director of Photography: Peter Andrews. Production designer: Antxon Gomez. Costume designer: Bina Daigeler. Editor: Pablo Zumarraga
Production Companies: Laura Bickford Productions, Morena Films
Sales: Wild Bunch
No MPAA rating. Part 1, 137 minutes; Part 2, 131 minutes...
It's hard to imagine how the two-parter idea is going to strike distributors and exhibitors, however, and, since the film lacked any opening or closing credits at its Cannes premiere, it may very well be that it is destined for a venue like HBO or Showtime. In any case, ancillary sales should be excellent in all markets.
The two parts are radically different in subject-matter and, a bit less so, in form. It's clear that the overriding structural idea is that of a mirror image: Part One, much more humorous, concerns the victory over Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and is all up, up, up, while Part Two is about Guevara's participation in the failed uprising in Bolivia and is all down, down, down.
In Cuba, Fidel and Che are loved by the peasantry and become god-like figures; in Bolivia, Che, forced to use an assumed name, is frustratingly unable to rally the people to his side and is hunted like an animal by the Bolivian army. In the most powerful segment of the entire film, he is finally murdered after being betrayed by one of his beloved campesinos.
The heart of the film is the robust yet subtle portrayal of the asthma-stricken revolutionary by Del Toro. He is an idealist who obviously really believes in the possibility of equality between human beings, but Soderbergh is mostly content to show repeated examples of his benevolence rather than develop its potentially complex contradictions.
Both parts are organized in a flattening, strictly chronological manner, with dozens upon dozens of intertitles that fix time and place, though Part One is also interspersed with a post-revolution, black-and-white interview with a North American journalist which adds Che's political perspectives. Scenes set in the United Nations, where Che delivers a firebrand speech, are among the best in this part.
Part Two seems to go on forever, with tiny, doomed, most indistinguishable skirmishes following one after the other (this part could use some serious trimming). Yet it's inherently more interesting than its counterpart because it is, first of all, played in a tragic rather than triumphant key, and second, because the story it documents is much less well-known.
Some minor things may annoy some audience members. While Matt Damon's one-minute part as a gringo missionary is serviceable, nevertheless his sudden appearance in a film filled with mostly unknown actors comes as a laugh-producing shock. Franka Potente has a small role as a guerrilla in Bolivia and, dubbed into Spanish, seems utterly uncomfortable in every scene. Latin American sources have told this reviewer that the Puerto-Rican born Del Toro doesn't even attempt to reproduce Che's trademark Argentinian accent in Spanish. But of course these will be slight or invisible flaws for the vast majority of those who will see this film.
All in all, it's a highly worthwhile, professionally-accomplished project, but in its obsessive devotion to precise documentation, the film forgets to inspire.
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demian Bichir, Santiago Cabrera, Elvira Minguez, Jorge Perugorria, Edgar Ramirez, Victor Rasuk, Franka Potente, Matt Damon. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Screenwriters: Peter Buchman . Producers: Laura Bickford, Benicio Del Toro. Director of Photography: Peter Andrews. Production designer: Antxon Gomez. Costume designer: Bina Daigeler. Editor: Pablo Zumarraga
Production Companies: Laura Bickford Productions, Morena Films
Sales: Wild Bunch
No MPAA rating. Part 1, 137 minutes; Part 2, 131 minutes...
- 5/22/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Werner Herzog will write and direct The Piano Tuner, a lush Victorian-era drama about a Brit's journey to war-torn Burma, for Focus Features. Mandalay Independent Pictures' Cathy Schulman is a producer on the project.
Based on Daniel Mason's 2002 debut novel, the story centers on Edgar Drake, a man sent to a remote village in the late 1800s to repair an eccentric military man's piano. Drake falls in love with a Burmese woman and her country, but as the officer wins over locals through music and medicine, things grow treacherous when his troops begin to suspect him of treason.
Tuner is right up the intense helmer's alley. Herzog has directed several films about men venturing into exotic locales (Rescue Dawn, Grizzly Man, Fitzcarraldo), but this will be his biggest English-language costume drama in more than four decades as a filmmaker.
The original screen adaptation by Peter Buchman is being rewritten by Herzog. Focus Features executives John Lyons and Kahli Small will oversee the project for the studio.
Based on Daniel Mason's 2002 debut novel, the story centers on Edgar Drake, a man sent to a remote village in the late 1800s to repair an eccentric military man's piano. Drake falls in love with a Burmese woman and her country, but as the officer wins over locals through music and medicine, things grow treacherous when his troops begin to suspect him of treason.
Tuner is right up the intense helmer's alley. Herzog has directed several films about men venturing into exotic locales (Rescue Dawn, Grizzly Man, Fitzcarraldo), but this will be his biggest English-language costume drama in more than four decades as a filmmaker.
The original screen adaptation by Peter Buchman is being rewritten by Herzog. Focus Features executives John Lyons and Kahli Small will oversee the project for the studio.
- Best Original Screenplay Peter Buchman for "The Argentine" (Tbd) Luhrmann, Ronald Harwood, Stuart Beattie, Richard Flanagan for "Australia" (20th Century Fox) J. Michael Straczynski for "Changeling" (Universal) Dustin Lance Black for "Milk" (Focus Features) Charlie Kaufman for "Synecdoche, New York" (Kimmel) Comments: Apart from the quartet of screenwriters that helped flesh out the 130 million dollar project known as Australia and what should be a shoe-in nom by the magnificent imagination of Charlie Kaufman, the three leading candidates I'm suggesting for Best Original are relatively new to the big project business. Peter Buchman split the Che biopic into two parts, so I'm thinking that we will see the first serving this year and have to wait for the conclusion in 09;. His previous credits only include Jurassic Park III, and more recently, Eragon. This would be his first nomination. Veteran sci-fi and television writer J. Michael Straczynski might get on the
- 4/2/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- #12. Guerrilla Director: Steven SoderberghWriters: Peter Buchman (Eragon), Ben Van Der Veen and Steven SoderberghProducers: Laura Bickford (Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus), Del Toro and Soderbergh Distributor: Focus Features The Gist: This is about the life and death of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara. The true story of Argentinean-born doctor and revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967), most famous for leading Fidel Castro's forces against Batista. Part 2 (Guerrilla)," begins with Che's trip to New York, where he spoke at the United Nations in 1964 and was celebrated in society circles. Fact: Terrence Malick was originally going to direct this project. He directed The New World instead. See It: Tailor-made for Benicio Del Toro - there is no one else we would rather see take on such an iconic role. Release Date/Status?: Now in post-production, it all depends on what Focus Features plan to do with Volume
- 2/1/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
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