Monday, May 4, 2009

Not A No, Not A Yes, Perhaps A Maybe...


So I take it you all have heard the rumors/news...

Production Weekly is stating that Dwayne Johnson is set to play in the 20K prequel. I take it they mean as Nemo. Unlike some, I actually think Johnson can actually act. I'm not saying he's Robert Deniro, but he can act. He was practically given the handover to being the action king by Arnold in his best film, "The Rundown." Ever since then he hasn't made as many good choices. If that film was his "Terminator" he hasn't yet made a justifiable follow-up to it. Of course, if he does do this film for Disney it'll be his third in a row... he's becoming quite the Disney Cast Member.

I don't really have any solid feeling on this choice should it turn out to be true. I do feel he looks the part far more than Will Smith would. As for the acting range? I don't know since I've yet to read the script and since it's being rewritten I don't think we know what to expect yet. It's an interesting choice if true and I'm going to be in a holding pattern till I hear more about it, the rest of the cast and most importantly, the script.

Unfolding...

27 comments:

Thomas Phillip said...

this is shaping up to be one big fat joke.

Anonymous said...

Agreed... but he's better than Will Smith...

Anonymous said...

I would take will smith first anyday. With "the rock" there is 0% chance I will see this movie. With will smith it is almost 100% likely to make a huge profit.
Disney Vault

Alain Littaye said...

Hi Honor, Although Will Smith as Nemo was not a good choice, i'm not extremely enthusiastic to have The Rock playing the role.
What amazes me is that they can't find a REALLY good actor to play Nemo's role. As always they're making the mistake to choose a "bankable" actor. Instead of that they should concentrate to do a GREAT film, as great films always makes money, even if the main character is played by a not-so-famous actor.
I agree that trying to find an actor who will be as good as James Mason was in "20000 Leagues..." is almost an impossible mission, but, c'mon, there is a lot of real good actors whether it's in the U.S or in England who would be better than those two...

Mr. Lincoln said...

This is crazy! It's not that hard to find someone who can play Nemo. Disney is just trying to find someone that is going to be "hip" and appeal to "this generation" and with that mindset they are going to destroy the character...kind of like Eddie Murphy in HM?? Here are my picks for Capt. Nemo:

Jeremy Irons
Philip Seymor Hoffman
Ralph Fiennes
Liam Neeson

Honor Hunter said...

Mr. Lincoln,

Most of those actors won't work because this is a younger Nemo. Before he built his ship inside that island atoll and before he wrecked havoc on the British navy. So whoever they get has to be younger. That's why my choice would be Eric Bana, but Disney isn't exactly listening to me...

Mr. Lincoln said...

Ah got ya! The Rock isn't necessarily young either though?

In that case I vote for Christian Bale!

Anonymous said...

I would not want christian bale after how he acts on sets now. That audio tape that got released was terrible and I will no longer be seeing any of his movies.
Disney Vault

Aaron said...

"Production Weekly is stating that Dwayne Johnson is set to play in the 20K prequel. I take it they mean as Nemo."

If Dwayne Johnson has been signed to play Ned, that actually could be an inspired choice.

(Looks like at least somebody else agrees with me...)

Anonymous said...

I agree that Johnson seems to have actual acting potential that he's rarely called on to actually use. His casting has me less worried about him than what it implies about the direction they might be going with this.

Honor Hunter said...

Christian Bale is a great actor but he doesn't look like Nemo. Nemo is Indian and he looks nothing like that.

As for his antics, I know a little something about film and although he may have sounded bad in that tape, the reasons for it were justified. The DP on that film was totally inappropriate in what he was doing. That is what Bale was responding to his being unprofessional. In fact, it wasn't the first time he had been asked not to do what he was doing. He didn't listen and suffered Christian's wraith... Bale blew his top and he apologized for it, I've yet to hear the DP do the same for what started the incident.

Bob said...

What do you mean, Honor? The DP apologized several times in the tape. And the only reason Bale apologized was because of the negative publicity surrounding the tape. Besides, how do we even know exactly what the DP did? How do we know Bale wasn't overreacting? I think it's impossible, for anyone who wasn't there, to honestly say whether Bale was right or wrong.

Anonymous said...

It was obvious from the tape what the DP did? You yourself said the DP apologized for it in the tape?

How can you not know what he did?

Kevin Bruehl said...

First of all, did anyone ever read the book? Nemo is NOT Indian, Nemo is British, Polish and New Zealand born, probably Rhodesian. He was only born in India, or somewhere near India. Christian Bale is a cool actor, the best action star nowadays, but I'd like to see Liam Neeson play Nemo, Eric Bana maybe, but since we need a younger Nemo, not that young because he built it when he was in his 30's. People who start rumors like the Rock, good actor though he is, or WIll Smith have absolutely nothing better to do with their time? The Rock isn't even going to be in it anyway, they just confirmed it. A good British or American actor in his 30's would be great for the role, maybe Chris Pine from Star Trek. Keep up the ideas!

Thomas Phillip said...

He may be a tad to young looking but how about James McAvoy?

scissorhands said...

The news has been retracted:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=55085

Thank heaven...

Anonymous said...

McG says Johnson is not in it. He never talked to him about it. See Sci Fi Wire. The director is still after Will Smith.

Kevin Bruehl said...

That's probably true, he seemed like a cool actor, he's going to play Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern. James McAvoy's a good actor, he might be a good candidate, or maybe someone like Sam Worthington from Terminator Salvation or maybe Karl Urban, he's in his 30's I beleive.

Anonymous said...

I did read "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," every fish-cataloging page of it. Nemo's ethnicity is never revealed. The story of him being Polish comes from Wells saying that's what he considered making the character's backstory.

By the time he wrote the semi-sequel, "Mysterious Island," he had changed his mind. There, Nemo is identified as Indian, making that ethnicity the canon.

Anonymous said...

And of course I meant "Verne." Brain fart.

Bob said...

I apologize for changing the subject, but I wanted to respond to Anonymous:

"It was obvious from the tape what the DP did? You yourself said the DP apologized for it in the tape?

How can you not know what he did?"

What I meant was that we don't know *exactly* what the DP did. I realize he made a mistake. However, we don't know just how large a one it was. Imagine you made a mistake at your job. How would you feel if your boss walked up to you and delivered a speech like Christian Bale gave the DP, right in front of your co-workers and customers? I'd feel terrible.

At one point in the tape, it even sounds as if Bale is going to shove or hit the DP. If the DP was that bad, he should have just been fired. Bale's speech and threats weren't necessary, in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

I don't care much (yet) about the remake--but I AM still in love with the design of that sub... {Sigh} I used to draw it over and over as a 10 year old.

Honor Hunter said...

Bob, what the DP did is what he's been known to do on other sets. That is, he tends to tinker with lights and things WHILE filming. This is a big no no...

You don't do this just like you don't talk during a take of a scene. Just like you don't make unnecessary commotion to distract from a scene. It's wrong and it's not professional. When you're trying to shoot a scene that cost thousands of dollars you don't want to have to do take after take. You want to to get it right in as few takes as possible.

Bale asked him to stop doing it before. Apparently he didn't think too much about Bale asking him to wait and adjust lighting after and in between scene. NOT during them. While Bale blew his top, he blew it for a legitimate reason. He apologized for his outburst, which he should have, but he had a reason for it. When you're filming a dramatic scene with someone where their dying and your trying to emote the proper feeling and off to your side the DP is tinking with a light distracting you. During the filming of a scene? Totally unprofessional. He's done this on many other films as well and has had complaints about it. Hopefully the berating that Bale gave him will embarrass him into doing what every other DP does. Wait until the scene is over...

What a revolutionary idea.

Tickle Me Nemo said...

This is a prequel. If they stick with the original story, Ned isn't in this story yet. Remember he met Nemo after his ship was blown up by the mad captain. This movie will end around the time he goes out to sea with his new creation.

Anonymous said...

I've heard that argument before attempting to justify Bale's meltdown, it just doesn't wash. One, his abusive rant and threats went beyond any reasonable reaction, and two, it's not his place to correct the DP no matter how badly he's behaving. The director should, the producer may, an actor? Ridiculous.

Kevin Bruehl said...

That sub is still one of the coolest creations in fiction in the last 60 years. No one can beat that design, if they were to do this, I wish they'd stay true to the original design, with some slight modifications to the front and make it four times as long, it's that big in the novel.

Lord Vargas said...

That's probably true, he seemed like a cool actor, he's going to play Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern.I don't know for sure who the above comment is refering too, I'd assume Chris Pine since another reader mentioned him and his name has been floating around the project. However, whoever it was refering to, it's not true. Like Ryan Gosling, Sam Worthington and Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine's involvement is merely a rumor at this point. Martin Campbell has officially been hired as the director, but Hal Jordan remains to be cast.