The Horn Era Has Begun...

If it's not on the page, it's not in the mousetrap...





So Alan Horn has been in charge of Walt Disney Studios and everyone is watching for is first purchase...

Is this it? Well, even if it is his first purchase, there's not much to go on as it's not titles and is only described as an action comedy. The script isn't even written, but it must have gotten the Mouse excited enough to pony up a seven figure sale price. And being as he's in charge now, I can't imagine him having no say over something that is costing a million plus.

Scott Rosenberg(Hauntrepeneur, Pain And Gain) is the one who pitched and will write the script. John Jacobs will produce, but everything else is under wraps. Over the next few months it's going to be interesting seeing what Disney buys and puts into production.

If Horn is able replicate his record at Warner, or even close to it, Disney is about to have a very exciting run...

Man Of Steal...

Up in the sky, it's a bird, a plane...


No, it's a sloooooooooow mo shot!



Wow, this was unexpected news...

Zach Snyder to Direct "Superman: The Man of Steel." Just when you think Darren Aronofsky was going to get it, someone else steals the job. And I'm not saddened by it, but I am surprised. A couple of years ago Snyder revealed that he was offered the directing gig on "Superman Returns" and he turned it down. So I thought that there was no way he'd accept this gig. I was wrong.

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Snyder has indeed accepted the offer to turn around the Granddaddy of all Super Heroes and make him a twenty-first century property. I personally think that this is a good move. Snyder has a definite eye for the camera and I don't think the major complaint everyone had about the last one will be a problem with this one (that it was boring and not enough action). I tend to agree and feel that Singer's film was an attempt to make a "chick-flick" out of Superman. With Nolan producing, Goyer writing and Snyder directing this could turn out to be an intense film. Now all they have to do is deliver it by the holidays of 2012. And this isn't all to think about when it comes to Marvel's competition.

Expect to hear more about this and other DC franchises in a few weeks at a major Warner Bros. announcement...

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter says that the villain will be General Zod. Kneel before me!

Rewriting The Max...

David Goyer told MTV in an interview that Warner Bros. is still moving ahead with the super-hero prison break out film...

Original "Supermax" writer Justin Marks, whom most recently worked on McG's Pre-20K film, is being rewritten (his work on the Nemo script is also being rewritten by Randall Wallace). Those of you that follow this blog remember our review of the script last year. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow my socks off. I can only hope that Justin performed spectacularly on his Nemo rewrite.

Perhaps Warner has another angle on the script, then again, perhaps they don't and that's why the rewrite...

A Script Through The Looking Glass...

Those guys over at CC2K, aka: Cin City 2000 (the ones with the "TRON 2" script review) have gotten their hands on another Disney script. Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" adaption/sequel.

Click here if you want to read it, but if you don't want spoilers then don't go too far down the rabbit hole.

A trailer, please. A trailer...

Tron Hacked...

A virus/review of the script for "Tron 2" has finally arrived...

It's from Cin City 2000 and it's an early draft so we know that things have changed since this one, but for those that are interested in finding out some of the details of the sequel to the 80's cult film, delve right in.

"CLICK ME"

Don't worry, I don't think it's a virus/trojan horse/worm or something else, but be warned that spoilers are ahead...

Hat Tip to Latino Review.

What The Future Holds...

Let's see, how do I put this...

I tend to be pretty up on Hollywood projects, Disney projects in particular as you know if you read this blog regularly. But I really am out of the loop on this one. It's not that I've not heard ramblings about it. I simply thought it was a joke. One of those rumors that you brush aside because it's too ridiculous to actually be true.

I may be wrong. According to the writers of "The Hangover," Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, they are actually working on a "Tomorrowland" film. I had heard rumblings like I said, but hmmm... I guess it's actually in development for Dwayne Johnson. Here's what they have to say:

"In Tomorrowland his character's name is Rip. And he plays a present day test pilot who tests a plane and gets shot into the future, and so he's a sort of a fish out of water in the future and he is sort of figuring out how everything works. And the people in the future don't know who he is, and they think he's bad guy come to destroy the future."

I really don't know. I'm incredibly critical of a project like this, but if they've come up with a great concept and were able to execute it in a script you never can tell. I'll hold my powder dry until I actually read the screenplay or hear more about the project in the coming weeks. I guess I'll have to take those rumors of "It's A Small World" the movie a little more serious now.

Developing...


Hat Tip to El Guapo over at Latino Review for the link to his original article.

Listening In On A Genius Now Gone Mad...

Want to see the inner workings of how "Raiders of the Lost Ark" got made?

Then go here to download the 125 page transcript of the story conference between George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan. Very cool, very interesting stuff.

A wonderful time when the man could do no wrong and hadn't started on the destructive path which tarnished his image.

No, I'm not talking about Eisner...

More Clones, Disney Style...

It appears that Curtis Hanson(L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys) is in negotiations with Disney to direct the long gestating project "Gemini Man" for Touchstone Pictures...

The story, for those that don't know, is about an aging assassin that suddenly finds he's being pursued by another, younger assassin looking to take him down. He finds out that the younger killer is in fact, his clone that the organization he works for has sent out to retired him.

This project has been through so many revisions I've lost count, but it appears the Suits finally have a likable draft. It doesn't mean it's the best draft("I Am Legend," for instance), but if they're prepared to sign Hanson, then they're prepared to go before cameras. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing the flick. No word yet on who will star as the assassins, but the project has had everyone from Harrison Ford to Mel Gibson attached.

Developing...

Indiana Jones And What Came Before (Part Two)...

Sorry for taking so long, I know I promised more of these but as always, the real world tends to pull one away...

As last time, a warning... if you don't want to know the stories and a large amount of details about these adventures then read no further. This isn't a review, it isn't a synopsis, it's more of an example of what's known as a scriptment. I will try to tell the story the screenwriter wrote as detailed and quickly(or not) as possible.

SPOILERS WILL BE TOLD.

Still want to know? Alright...

George Lucas has commissioned several drafts for an Indy film over the last decade and a half. This is a script that Lucas commissioned back in the mid-90's.

Indiana Jones and the Sword of Arthur by Jeffrey Boam




Our story begins on an island, 1238. It's known as Enigma Island to be specific. We go down a cave and find two knights fighting, battling to the death. Finally one kills the other and picks up an object wrapped in a cloth... glowing. He uncovers it and the glow keeps us from seeing what it is as he holds it to the ceiling of the cave. Lightning and power shoots out causing the roof to collapse.

Cut to the same island years later, 1456. A Spanish Galleon is anchored off the shore. Some Spaniards are in the cave now being led by a man that seems a bit mad or drunk or a bit of both. They find the dead corpse of the knight from earlier. Through a large boulder they see a glow. They peer between the cracks, their faces all aglow and we...

Cut to a Museum. College students roaming around. They walk with their professor looking up at Indiana Jones. They walk outside and we notice we're in Arizona, 1950. They're waiting by their bus. The driver asks Indy if they should go and he tells him to wait another ten minutes. He's clearly waiting for something. He tells a student to take over and walks back into the museum. Three thugs and a small dude are watching him from a nearby cafe.

Inside the museum, Indy goes up to a man and they make a package trade as they walk by one another. He opens it as he gets around the corner. Gold, Persian relic. The man Indy got the package from leaves nodding to the thugs. Indy is on a payphone telling Anthony it went well. One of the thugs comes up behind Indy and sticks a gun into his back.

Outside, Indy, the three thugs and small man walk past the bus. The students wonder where he's going and the Bus Driver throws a fit as to why they aren't going yet. Indy tells him to take them to the train station without him.

A warehouse a little later. Indy's tied to a crate. The usual banter about "My employer wondered where his property ended up" commences. Indy banters and then runs into the thugs. He beats them all up, is about to go when one of the thugs pulls a machine gun that's fallen next to him. He bolts from the place, runs into the street and gets a guy to drive him him off as they're chased by the thugs car. Car chase. Machine gun fire. A bike race ahead. Swerves and misses. Cop cars join the chase. Thugs run directly into one of the cop cars.

Cut to the train getting ready to leave the station. Indy gets out and sees a motorcycle with a greaser talking to a girl. Pushes him off and takes the motorcycle. He heads for the moving train. He's not got long though as their is a gorge up ahead. He jumps to the porch railing of the train as the motorbike flies off the cliff exploding. Inside the car a conductor is taking tickets and comes to a dirty, dusty Indy who has just sat down in his seat. He punches his ticket.

Indy in his classroom. He's giving another archeology speech. Yada, yada. Talks about the island we seen earlier. Anthony Brody, son of Indy's old pal watches the speech. They all leave and the two start talking as they walk to Indy's office. Knock on the door. A hot women, early 40's named Arianna Smith, she's a former foil/lover(?). He punches her. She gets up they banter as a guy comes off screen, Seabastion Collins. He and Indy shake hands, he's a former student. They both tell him of a relic they were hunting. A torn piece of parchment is handed to Indy. They talk of the mad Spaniard we saw earlier. They tell of how this could lead to Enigma Island which no one seems to be able to find. They want Indy to go with them to a castle in France to obtain the rest of this parchment so they can figure where this island is.

Back at Indy's house. Night. he's packing and arguing with Anthony. "Excalibur is a myth!" stuff like that. Indy tells Brody that the castle is run by a bunch of ex-Nazis bent on world domination. Yada, yada.

Cut to the airport. Indy Arianna and Collins wait to get on board. They get on board and we cut to a flashback.

An archaeological dig, 1925. Workers digging. A young Indy on his first professional dig. He meets, banters with a young Arianna. A younger, just as obnoxious Belloq is screaming at workers. Indy tells them to take a breather and he and they argue. Abner Ravenwood walks up and greets Indy. He and Ravenwood exit leaving Belloq angry. Indy and Arianna talk, they help one another, attraction starts to take hold and we...

Cut to French castle. The three tourist(Indy, Arianna and Collins) move about the castle. They follow a tour guide and banter/argue. They leave the tourist behind and head down another hallway. They enter an ornate room. Table in the center opens up revealing a secret passageway. Come to a stone door. Indy opens it and hey enter a vast depository of books, art, armor and tons of other stuff. Indy begins looking through books. He finds one with a page missing. Puts the parchment next to it. They match. Congratulations all around, then... Collins pulls a gun. Machine gun totting thugs come in. Big guy named Lugor comes from the darkened shadows. Arguing, betrayal. Yada, yada.

Indy and Arianna are tied back to back. swinging over a pit forty feet deep with spikes. Collins knocks out Indy. A torch slowly burns through the rope holding them up. The thugs close the door and wait outside as Collins departs the castle with Lugo. He tells them to make sure of their deaths or the Dark Knights won't be pleased(wait, Dark Knights? Keep reading). Collins and Lago head for the airport in their Dark Knight Car(Boam's word, not mine). Arianna is swinging the rope around toward an opening above. She swings them both up, but falls back toward the spikes. Indy with his whip lashed out and holds her suspended over the spikes. They escape. A group of cars outside. they shoot the tires of all but one car. Indy and Arianna steal the remaining one and head off away from the castle as we...

Cut to another flashback, 1925. Indy, Arianna and Ravenwood walking along a beach. Indy's telling Ravenwood about the location to some pirate treasure. Arianna leaves while Ravenwood and Indy talk. Abner Ravenwood's daughter, Marion Ravenwood age 15, walks up She's got a crush on Indy you can tell. Ravenwood warns him to keep away from her. He nods and the flashback ends.

Castle Birkenshire lies over the English coastline. Collins shows up. An aide tells him that Indy escaped. He tells Lugor to take care of it and heads down a hall filled with purple, red and black banners. Guards in black armor carrying rifles stand guard in the hall. Into a room with a round table are seated a group of Dark Knights wearing purple, red and black robes. The head lord, Markote talks to Collins. Another Lord, Benneth, who is skeptical of Collins also pipes in. Yada, yada. They argue. Benneth has no faith in him. Collins holds up the book and tells them the sword will be ours again.

Indy and Arianna are walking the streets of London. They head for a library, arguing all the way. Indy recognized a symbol(the Dark Knight symbol) on one of the guards and wants to research it. In the library, searching, searching... Arianna finds it. Indy reads what she's discovered. It turns out to be a Dark Ages Sect known as the Knights of Mordred. More explanation, more banter, more argument. Finally we hear this sect died out around the time of the Black Plague. About this time, Arianna looks up and sees Lugor walking through looking for them. They leave and several cars race toward them. Indy and Arianna get on board an empty double-decker bus and take off. A new car chase begins. We get the standard Indy-speak with terms like "trust me" and all. Cars follow, traffic darts and turns. Thugs shoot machine guns. Some climb on the bus. Gunfire, fights, crashes. Finally they get rid of all the bad guys only to crash into a building. As they exit they find police officers waiting for them.

Cut to Collins in the castle trying to decipher the code to the location of the island in the book. See, he's an ok archaeologist, but he's not as good as his teacher Indy and he's having great difficulty obviously. The Lords are becoming impatient. He tells them he'll have it decoded by tomorrow(he hopes).

Indy and Arianna at the American Embassy. They're walking away and she's asking Indy how he did it. He tells her he has friends. As they exit the embassy there are two cars near the street with flags similar to the Dark Knight symbol. One opens and a guy named Miller gets out. He asks them to get inside and all answers will be provided. They get in. From here they're transported to...

Castle Avalon. The opposite of Castle Birkenshire. This one is located in the English countryside. Large and open, not dark and oppressive like the other English castle. People move about in a hustle. Cartographers, researcher, technicians all work around the place. Indy and Arianna are taken by Miller to a man around another large, round table. The leader of this group is Oliver. He talks to them about Collins and tells them he is the leader of the "Society of the Round Table" and they are the decedents of Aurthur. They are the sworn enemies of the Dark Knights. He tells them of a thousand year old power struggle between these two groups for control of the sword known as Excalibur. He asks them to leave and not pursue this quest for the sword or the island. He says they will handle it. Indy agrees and asks to rest so they can leave tomorrow.

Benneth informs Collins that Jones is still alive. He believes Collins is a fool and has bungled the death of Jones and now has little faith he'll decipher the code to the island. Collins sends him away saying he'll have the coordinates soon enough.

Back at Castle Avalon. More argument, banter. Indy tells Arianna he's still going after Collins. This shuts her up momentarily. You can see he's warmed to her... just a bit. And we go into another flashback.

Workers are digging in pits along the beach we saw in the earlier flashback. Snide remarks between Belloq and Indy. They're all competing to be Ravenwoods assistant. He, Belloq and Arianna. Only one will win the job. Somehow he teams with Arianna to foil Belloq and they both go about finding the prize. They both find the gold medallion. The one we saw in Raiders. They are both carried out of the pit by the workers as they cheer and we leave the flashback.

Indy and Arianna sneak down from a hilltop overlooking Castle Birkenshire. A large ship by the shore his being loaded with supplies and men. They sneak down and enter a crate that is going to be put on board. Collins and Benneth are arguing again. The ship sets sail. Inside the cargo hold, Indy and Arianna exit the crate. Arianna and Indy split up. She goes for Collins cabin to find the book and Indy goes to the bridge to find their course. Then they'll radio the American or British Navies. Arianna goes into his cabin and starts looking through the mess for the book. Indy knocks a sailor unconscious and hides inside a locker. Collins and Benneth argue just outside. The guard awakens, moaning. Collins and Lugor hear this and open the locker catching Indy. Arianna gets captured as well. They begin to torture Indy to get Arianna to decipher the book. She relents when she can take it no more.

After she finishes decoding the book they put her back in with Indy. After a while one of the Dark Knights enters, they think it's their time. It's a spy, one of the Society of the Round Table that's been able to sneak on board. He rescues them and is about to put them into a boat when they're spotted. The Spy gets killed as the boat falls into the water. Collins leaves it because he thinks when the sun comes up they'll die in the beating sun. While in the boat, Indiana and Arianna talk, argue and get what's been brewing through the whole script out of the way. An airplane flies over. It lands in the water and drifts over to the boat. The pilot, a knight named Sir Gilliam picks them up.

Cut to Enigma island with the Dark Knight's ship anchored in the shallow water. Knights in armor riding horseback head for the cave. Once in the cave they start digging and eventually find Excalibur floating above the ground. A knight tries to grab the blade and his hand melts away. Collins opens up a black box that they've brought with them. A Dark Gauntlet is inside, the Gauntlet of Mordred. Collins grabs the sword with the Gauntlet on and it doesn't burn him. Collins takes the sword and kills Benneth. They leave the cave and notice men on horseback in the distance. They all get on their horses and ride toward them discovering a small castle and village with a group of people that don't even know they're there.

The plane flown by Gilliam with Indy and Arianna lands on the island and find the castle and village destroyed. The people are dead. Four knights greet them. Palin, Idle, Graham and Cleese(if you don't get the joke, I'm not going to tell you...). Collins, Lugor and the other Dark Knights are on the coast headed for the ship. The plane flies over with Idle and Graham on the wings dropping grenades. A battle ensues between Indy, Arianna, the knights in the plane and those on the ground versus the Dark Knights. Collins tries to destroy the plane with blasts of lightning from Excalibur. Big battle. Fights. Deaths. Arianna gets captured by Collins as he says she'll make a excellent sacrifice. Collins gets in a boat and heads for the ship. Indy tries to save her before he gets on board the ship, but fails.

Later at Castle Birkenshire. Collins presents the sword to Markote. He then proceeds to kill him and all the other Dark Lords, taking control saying that there can be only one king. We cut to another flashback. Arianna argues with Indy while he drinks whiskey. They argue over the fact that Ravenwood chose her instead of him. Shots of Indy telling Ravenwood he was leaving. And the flashback ends... The plane carrying Indy and the remaining Knights flies toward Birkenshire.

Meanwhile, at the castle Collins is performing a ceremony with the Dark Knights around him. He's going to transform Excalibur into a weapon of darkness. Big, long winded speech about "knowing what society needs" and "saving the world from itself." He plans on sacrificing Arianna right as Gilliam's plane crashes through the skylight. The Knight of Arthur versus the Dark Knights of Mordred do battle. A large fight with the remaining forces of good and those baddies in the castle. Indy is looking to save the girl. Arianna fights with Collins and she knocks Excalibur free. She does a good job smacking him around until another Dark Knight shows up behind her and knocks her out. Collins and the Dark Knight are starting to leave and he realizes he doesn't have the sword. He turns to see Indy with his hand wrapped up, holding Excalibur bathed in warm, glowing light. Indy starts to take out Dark Knights as fire and lightning bolts fly. Good is slowly triumphing. Indy looks for Arianna, where is she?

Collins is aboard the Dark Knights plane with Arianna in tow. The plane starts to take off. A storm is coming. Collins talks about how Indy will come after her and Excalibur will come to him. Yada, yada. Indy runs after the plane on foot down the runway. He grabs a chain and uses it like a whip, latching onto the tail of the plane as it gets airborne. Indy gets onboard the plane and finds Collins holding her with a gunn pressed to her side. He tells Collins to give the girl up and he can have the sword. A shot is heard. The two remaining Dark Knights are shot dead by the pilot... who now lifts his goggles to reveal that it's Sir Gilliam. The storm outside worsens. Collins hands over Arianna. Indy starts to hand Collins Excalibur blade first as it cuts into his hand, then suddenly flips the sword around and slams it down on Collins' Gauntlet. It shatters into many pieces... Indy puts the sword in Collins' hand along with some torn banner he wraps around him so he can't remove it and Collins screams. Indy kicks him out of the plane. His body disappears into vapor and the sword plummets toward the Atlantic Ocean. Right before it hits the waves the Lady of the Lake rises and takes it with her hand. Indy falls back into the plane from exhaustion...

Cut to Indy teaching a class. Brody and Arianna walks in. Final chatter. Yada, yada. Some corny dialog about one kind of adventure he hasn't done: relationships. They kiss. The boys in class cheer, the girls are disappointed. Indiana Jones and Arianna walk off the campus as the Raiders theme comes up and the credits roll.

THE END...


Would this have been better than Crystal Skull?

You be the judge.



Previous entry: Part One.

Thundering Forward...

Those of you that remember my post a while back about the "The 5 Best Scripts Hollywood Never Made" will be glad to know that one of those projects is moving forward...

The Mighty Thor, or just Thor is progressing further in pre-production and has gotten a fantastically perfect person to direct it. Kenneth Branagh, who I think is near perfect to adapt this material, but the only downside is...

It won't be the script I was talking about. As good as it was, it apparently wasn't good enough for Marvel and they, along with Branagh are moving forward with another script. Hopefully it'll be as good as the Mark Protosevich draft, but I doubt it. Although they do have a great screenwriter working on it, I'm biased.

Here's hoping...

Disney Chases Nazis After All...

Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards" may have escaped the Mouse's fingers, but that's not going to stop Mickey from killing a few Nazis...

Walt Disney Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer have acquired screen rights to the novel "Killing Rommel," by Steven Pressfield("The Legend of Bagger Vance", "Gates of Fire"). The story is of a British battalion’s attempt to thwart German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s desert campaign.

Randall Wallace("Braveheart", "We Were Soldiers Once") will co-write the script with Pressfield, while Bruckheimer will produce. No one is attached to direct as of yet.

This should be interesting since Wallace is a very good screenwriter and Pressfield is an excellent novelist(His "Gates of Fire" novel is about the story which insprired the comic book/film adaption of Frank Miller's "300").

Developing...

Indiana Jones And What Came Before (Part One)...

A warning... if you don't want to know the stories and a large amount of details about these adventures then read no further. This isn't a review, it isn't a synopsis, it's more of an example of what's known as a scriptment. I will try to tell the story the screenwriter wrote as detailed and quickly(or not) as possible.

SPOILERS WILL BE TOLD.

Still with me? Good...

This is a script that Lucas commissioned back after "Last Crusade" and is from 1995.


Indiana Jones and Saucer Men from Mars by Jeb Stuart




Our story begins in Borneo, 1949. Indy is on one of his typical adventures down a dark river with his trusty pal, Kabul(this film's sidekick version of Short Round). They're being chased in their little steamer by a PT Boat filled with river pirates.

Cut to the PT Boat up next to Indy's steamer. They've taken possession of Indy's cargo. A Belloq-type character named Baldassare takes maps from Indy that obviously leads to some treasure. A battle ensues with the pirates trying to feed Jones and his friend to crocodiles. Baldassare leaves with the boat ready to blow up. Indy saves Kabul and his boat as they talk about how Baldassare got away with their treasure. Indy pulls out a small golden idol and they laugh. Indy says he's getting too old for this kind of thing.

Cut to them back in a small harbor town at the wharf, Kabul reminds him that he's promised Brody that he would escort a female linguist up the river looking for a mythical temple lost in time. He doesn't feel like doing it after these adventures and tells Kabul to go sell the steamer. He then goes looking for the linguist to tell her so. Once he sees her as you would expect, he changes his mind...

Dr. Elaine McGregor is a beautiful and smart professor looking for a guide to help her navigate the area and Indy can't say no as he feels an immediate attraction to her. We can tell the feeling is mutual, even though she is quick to point out that she's engaged. Kabul comes back telling him he sold the boat. Indy responds that "I told you to sell the goat" as he motions toward Elaine. Kabul runs off to get the boat back.

Cut to weeks later with Indy, Elaine and Kabul once again captured by Baldassare who realized he was fooled by Jones. They're all hanging upside down waiting to be devoured by ants(familiar?). Indy tries to convince Baldassare to save Elaine and himself by pretending there are more secret maps that only they can read. It only works halfway. Baldassare saves her and leaves Indy to die saying he doesn't need him. They head off, Indiana winds up having to save himself and Kabul. They head off for Baldassare's boat.

Cut to Indy arriving, fights ensuing and the river pirates and Baldassar fleeing off their own boat over to Indy's steamer. Indy thinks he scared them until he turns to see the boat heading toward a giant waterfall that will surely crush the boat if it goes over the falls. Indy, Kabul and Elaine wind up barely making it back just as they notice their own steamer passes by toward the falls. Indy notes they should have fixed that gas gauge as the pirates jump from the ship and the boat plummets over the falls. After all this, Indy turns to Elaine, swooning in her eyes and asks her to marry him(Nooooooooooooooo! Sorry, that was me.).

We now move to America. A wedding is about to commence... Indy and Elaine's wedding. Elaine is preparing to Marry Indy. In another room Henry Jones Sr. is helping Indy tie his tie and criticizing him for getting married so quickly, peppering him with questions like: "How long have you known this woman, Junior?"... (Very Sean Connery).

As we see the chapel, the brides side is may up of many well dressed, respectable people. Indy's side is quite the opposite. A few rag-tag friends, among whom we see Willie Scott, Marion and Short Round(Cringing here). They're about to begin with Indy and his father standing there waiting as the music starts up. We see Elaine about to come up the aisle just as a man walks up to her and Indy and his father get into some nervous banter. Elaine's father shouts: "she's gone!" Indy runs outside and sees a black sedan head off with his future bride in the back. He bolts over to the wedding car and jumps in, chasing after her.

A chase ensues across the university campus(familiar?) over the football field, through the streets and ... alas, when the black sedan carrying Elaine goes around a corner it drives up into the trailer of a semi. As the trailer doors close Indy comes screeching around the corner only to find the sedan and his future wife gone(kinda a reversal of the market scene in Raiders). He goes back to the chapel and says the kidnapper got away. Elaine's father tells him she wasn't kidnapped, but went willingly. Indy is heartbroken.

Cut to Indy at a bar starting to get hammered. We notice that he is drinking with Marion and Willie as they try and console him(More cringing here). Indy walks home and goes to Elaine's office. He goes in and starts to rummage around. Eventually he finds a document with a picture of the military man who looks remarkably like the one she fled with. He also finds her passport with the last name Bollander and a telegram. Then Dr. Jones finds a marriage certificate and he notices the man in the photo has a name plate on his chest with the name Bollander... her husband. Indy reads the telegram. It list something about needing urgent help on a discovery in White Sands, NM.

Back at his house, Indy is arguing with his dad about just finding out that Elaine being married. Jones tells his dad that it's a front and he's going after her looking for answers. He tells his father that he knows she's a spy and wants to find her because he still loves her. The traditional Indy montage across a map until we land in...

New Mexico. Indy pulls into a small diner in the middle of nowhere. Indy goes in asks the waitress shows pictures of Elaine and Bollander. She doesn't recognize Elaine, but identifies Bollander. Two cowboys(one Indy's age, one younger) over to the side ears perk up at this mention and look at one another. She tells him he's the second person to ask about him today and turns to the cowboys... they're gone.

Indy follows a convoy of trucks to a military base. He tries to get the MP's to let him through to see Bollander. It doesn't work. Indy turns and heads away. Cut to Indy on horseback riding across restricted government land. Indy goes across the plains noticing a long black streak where something crashed. He rides on...

Cut to Indy watching a large procession of trucks. trailers, tents and generators(think the end of Close Encounters) as a plane goes by and spots him. He runs off on his horse as Jeeps with machine guns roll after him. After a series of turns and jumps evading them he's finally caught. And winds up in an interrogation tent facing...

Bob Bollander, the military man who stole his wife along with a General McIntyre grilling him with questions(familiar?). They ask Jones what he's seen. What exactly does he know? After a bit a scuffle Indy gets knocked out. And wakes up to see...

Elaine over him. They argue, she comes up with an idea to allow him to stay. She convinces the General that he can help her decipher what she's been working on. Bollander objects, but is overruled. He's taken to a massive operations tent. Indy's introduced to Dr. Bernard who goes about showing him pieces of the crash. Strange alien metal and then a refrigerated coffin with a dead alien inside. A sceptical Indy starts to believe there's something to this. He's shown a long stone cylinder with various runic symbols on it. This is what they are trying to decode. They note that it is some strange power source and it was found among the wreckage of the crash whose site Indy saw earlier. He agrees to help them figure out what this thing is.

Cut to the edge of the base. The two cowboys show up and kill the MP's at the post. They turn to each other and speak in Russian. They mount their horses and head off across the dessert. We focus on Indy and Bollander staring off into the night watching the sky glow... they're testing the bomb off in the distance.

Indy and Elaine figure out what they believe the symbols mean. They meet with the General and Bollander. It appears that the symbols are longitude/latitude symbols and they correspond to various mountains about the world. They talk about how perhaps this ship was taking device back to the mountain.

A commotion happens across the site. It appears that one of the crude computers blew up. Indy notices something unusual and Elaine is missing. He goes over to find out what's going on. He stumbles into the Cowboys. They stick a gun to his back and pull him into a tent. The Cowboy we find out is a Russian spy named Cheslav... and Indy and he have a history. Elaine is tied in the tent. A fight ensues and Cheslav and the other Russian escape with Elaine in tow as Jones stumbles after her.

A chase happens across the dessert base as the General and Jones both go looking for him. There's a huge missile test area where the Russian hide their car amidst a hundred others. Indy goes hunting for them and goes down a cavern to battle one of the Russians. He winds up battling the spy on top a missile testing sled(familiar?). The sled shoots off and heads out at a blinding speed. When it comes to a stop, the Russian is dead and burnt to a crisp. Indy is barely conscious and notices figures come up to him speaking in Russian. Someone knocks him out before he can see what is happening clearly.

Cut to Indy in the car's trunk next to the body of the dead Russian trying to pick the lock. They're going across the base, one is reading a map and they notice he was reading it wrong. They see a small town(Boomsburg) up ahead and pull into a gas station. Indy sneaks out of the trunk and sneaks around the side. Indy runs into a house and tries to find a phone. Everything is strangely sterile and quite. He sees some people and notices they're mannequins. About this time the Russians realize this and start to get out of town as quickly as possible(This scene plays out exactly like the one in Crystal Skull except the fridge scene is a bit different. He goes into the cellar and covers the top with the open fridge).

Cut to Indy being scrubbed off(Just like Crystal Skull). Cut to interrogation with them accusing Indy of helping the Russians(Just like Crystal Skull). Indy and Bollander are arguing as Indy tells him he has a mole on the base and it's someone that speaks Russian with a German accent. They only have two hundred German scientists helping with this project so it should be easy to find the General says sarcastically.

Cut to Indy under arrest. He's taken down to be locked up. He hears Dr. Bernard arguing with some people. Jones eyes go wide as realizes that Bernard is the voice he heard. Indy escapes from his MP escort and goes after Bernard. He climbs onto the top of one of the trucks in a convoy. The convoy pulls into a deserted gas station as a car pulls up carrying Elaine. Suddenly a huge Russian flying fortress swoops down from the sky and lands. They're fueling the plane as they load cargo. The guy loading the fuel notices it's stopped and goes looking for a kink in the line... you can guess what happens next. Jones dressed in a Russian outfit boards the plane as it's starting to take off. He looks around for the cylinder and runs into some Russian soldiers and gets in a fight when they realize he's not one of them. Indy looses the fight.

Cut to Indy being taken to the pilot's compartment. He and Elain embrace. We notice that the cylinder is starting to glow(giving us the impression of it being like a time bomb). Bernard takes him to the back and opens bomb bay doors to throw Indy out. Before they can throw him out they discover they have a visitor. Something is trailing the plane... something not American, not human. A flying saucer. They get caught in its tractor beam. Two American jets come into the fight after having seen the saucer on radar. They fire at the saucer and it released the plane. A fight ensues as the plane starts to head down. Elaine tries to get the device, but gets sucked out of the plane. Indy goes after her and grabs her as he pulls his parachute. The plane explodes. They land. She has the cylinder as she and Indy walk into an almost deserted town near dusk. They go into a shop. No one around. Indy goes to try and find someone leaving Elaine inside. Things happen and a spider-like alien comes after her(feels very much like the house scene from CE3K). She runs out of the shop as Indy pulls up in a truck. She jumps in and tells him to go.

It's night as the truck drives down the road toward a drive-in theater. They pull in and park their vehicle, hiding around the other cars. On the screen is some cheesy alien invasion movie that plays out while all the teens around them make out. Indy and Elaine talk until she and he start to make up or make out just like the rest of the teens. The rod's runic symbols continue to light up and expand. A shadow appears over the drive-in... no one notices, including Indy and Elaine as their car starts rising.

The truck is lowered onto the ground. The alien ship(not the one that shot down the plane, this one's smaller) lands and a bug-like alien comes out and tries to get the door open with them inside. Indy tries to draw the thing away as a small alien appears in the doorway of the saucer. It says something that sounds like what Elaine heard the spider-like alien say and being a linguist she starts to decipher what it was saying. It's saying "Dangerous". Indy and she try to give it to the creature, but even the creature doesn't want it. About this time an explosion happens on the saucer. Tanks are firing at the spacecraft. Bollander pulls up with the General. They put Indy and Elaine under arrest and Bollander takes the cylinder, looking at it almost like a lover. The convoy heads back to the base as dawn approaches. The clouds above move and shift... something is in them following the convoy(very much CE3K).

A huge windstorm is kicking up. Suddenly a beam of light destroys one of the trucks in the convoy. The large flying saucer is back as the storm gets worse. The ship destroys more vehicles. Elaine and Indy escape again as the Army does battle with the saucer. Bollander takes off with the cylinder in his jeep as the burning sandstorm buries the entire convoy of Army vehicles. Bollander is riding up the mountains. Bollander reaches a runic alter(a cairn) up in the mountains as three saucers come out flashing green lights all around the cairn. Indy and Elaine are going toward Bollander when suddenly they're stopped by Cheslav. Fights happen, Cheslav runs for Bollander and the cylinder. Bollander is holding the rod, it glows and he starts to glow. He becomes drunk with power. He takes the cylinder and melts Cheslave before he can get to him. Just then the sun rises and Bollander feels the power start to drain from his body. He explodes. Blinding light everywhere. When the storm settles and the light goes away the cylinder is missing. Everything is back to normal now that the cylinder has been returned...

Cut to the church from before. Indy Sr. fixing Indy Junior's tie again. Indy and Elaine get married and run over to get into the car. Everyone is around cheering them... Sallah, Marion, Willie and so on. As they get in the driver, Short Round says: "Where to Dr. Jones?". He tells him the airport and they speed off. Indy says: "I love you". Elaine say: "I love you". They kiss. The wedding car roars off toward the airport.

THE END...


Would this have been better than Crystal Skull?

You be the judge.

Supermax: Blue Sky Script Review...

Since a major movie about a DC Comics super-hero comes out today, I think this is an appropriate post...

So I'm coming back from a nice jog along the shore and smelling the salty air as I walk up to Blue Sky Headquarters when I start to open the door and notice a package lying on the front step with the bold letter: "TOP SECRET" on it. Well, it really didn't have those letters on it, but I thought it sounded better than just a plain brown envelope... so I open it up and low and behold...

A FEW HOURS LATER...

Ok guys, everyone seemed to enjoy my "The 5 Best Scripts Hollywood Never Made" so I thought I'd let you guys in on another hot property out there...

"Supermax"

Those of you that are in the know in Tinsel Town will know what that is. Fellow Comic Book Geeks will raise an eyebrow when I say that name as well. It's not a film that is going to be made by the Mouse. It's not even a film yet... it is a hotly talked about spec script that David Goyer(Batman Begins) came up with the idea for. He then got screenwriter Justin Marks to pen the script. Many people have been after it for a while now...

Blue Sky Disney has it.

All right, Honor. What is it? In a nutshell, it could be described as a story in which Green Arrow is put into a maximum security prison with a rouge's gallery of criminals. Those of you that don't know GA, well he's a mid-level Super Hero at DC Comics... not as popular or dark as the Dark Knight, not as universally known or as light as the Man of Steel. Essentially where Batman is a darker, right-wing vigilante millionaire that fights crime, Green Arrow is a lighter, left-wing vigilante millionaire that fights crime. Some will disagree, but that's a very quick analogy to get those that are clueless up to speed on SUPERHERO 101.

I've always collected comics and I'm an endless example of being raised on pop culture... when it comes to comics, I love them all, but those that fight the wars will understand I'm a DC guy, not a Marvel guy. Not that I don't like Marvel. I do, but my heart will always belong to the absolutes of Batman and Superman. I watched the old 60's show in syndication as a kid and have read everything I can remember about the caped crusader. I love how Bruce Timm showed how relevant the DC Universe is to today's stories... for a while it looked like Marvel would dominate the world of super heroes with its much better campaign of adaptions. That is of course, before Ari Avad began screwing up the adaptions and went from a comic book geek's Super-Hero to Super-Villain in a matter of years causing Marvel to start its own production company to retain more control of their properties. Marvel's first two at bats were out of the park. Now DC is trying to get many of their list of underwear-clad crime fighters up on the silver screen. Green Arrow is not the most known, but he is one of their rather interesting heroes. So it would be interesting to see how they portrayed him. How he entered the world of live action films...

Now, onto the script...

First off, the full title is "Green Arrow: Escape From Supermax" and second of all THERE WILL BE SPOILERS... read at your own peril.

The story starts with several military figures being assassinated on a night by a mysterious figure that looks remarkably like Green Arrow... but the difference is GA doesn't kill. Across town(Star City) Oliver Queen(Green Arrow) is at a gala dinner to receive an award when he gets wind of what's happening. He excuses himself and dawns his green outfit. Arriving at the scene of the crime he finds a dead general with a green arrow protruding from him. Realizing he's been set up he makes a run from the police. He doesn't get far and before you know it he's sent to trial. Queen figures he's been set up by a corrupt businessman named Cross, who has been trying to get hold of Queen's company. All this happens in the first fifteen or so pages. It all happens so quickly you feel that it's somewhat forced. I know the point is to get him in prison, but I would have preferred a few more pages of set-up. A rigged trial soon follows and Queen is sent to a maximum security prison he has no reason being sent to... unless of course, it was set up so that he could be taken out. Get the picture?

Queen is sent to Supermax, a maximum security prison(think, Alcatraz for Super-Villains) ran by an organization known as CHECKMATE, a sort of quasi-big brother corporate/governmental organization. The majority of the prisoners inside this facility are super powered criminals known as "Metahumans"... what we'd refer to as "Mutants" in the Marvel Universe. When Queen arrives he's greeted, stripped of everything, put into a colored jumpsuit and assigned a cell and number to be referred to. The Warden of the facility, a tough minded African-American woman named Waller sets the rules for him and others. It essentially all plays out kind of like "Shawshank Redemption", but doesn't have the emotional appeal of that film. Along the way he meets up with several inmates that he is able to get along with(SPLIT, a teleporter) and several others you know he's going to have run-ins with(Blockbuster, a behemoth).

Like any other prison break film, Queen has his spirit broken, since he's a rebel and the warden wants to make an example of him. Being as he's a pretty good escape artist they punish him with solitary confinement. While there he meets a man named Hartley... how does he meet him in solitary confinement? Well, Hartley is a man that has the ability to control lesser beings minds. So when he greets Queen he communicates through ants. Ants craw into his cell and spell out the words Hartley wants to say. Together he and Queen plot a way out of the prison. Not only so that Queen can get justice and clear his name, but so that the world can see the abuses that go on inside this seemingly inescapable prison out in some unknown sea.

Along the way, Hartley and Queen get the help of a character named Djinn that has the ability to transfer himself into an electronic virus, Gemini, a shape-shifter very much like Mystique in the X-Men. All while this is going on, a new inmate is brought to Supermax. Merlyn, a sort of rival archer to the Green Arrow that has really been sent in to kill Queen so that he's no longer a problem to Cross and others in the outside world. Merlyn really is there for a very short time and doesn't add as much to the story as he should have. About the most compelling thing about Merlyn is his desire to be the number one archer... even if it's being a bad guy that's the number one archer. We find that Merlyn was the one dressed as Green Arrow earlier framing Queen.

To make a long story short, they escape. Some of them don't make it, others wind up going that weren't expected(Blockbuster). They find out that the super-prison out by the sea isn't really what it appeared and isn't anywhere they expected. A chase ensues with Checkmate combat soldiers rolling across icy tundra in snow tanks, cycles and other vehicles after Queen and the escapees. Most don't survive the assault and eventually Queen, Gemini and a character known as Mahkent, who is essentially an Ice-Man type villain, escape in a cargo hold back to Star City.

Once back the script plays the "Fugitive" angle with Queen being a marked man on the run, looking for ways to find out how Cross framed him. Eventually, Queen realizes that Cross isn't the only person responsible for him being framed. It turns out someone close to him was responsible for the set-up. A final confrontation occurs when Queen confronts the real culprit responsible for his imprisonment in a penthouse apartment that leads to a battle on the rooftop with police helicopters swirling around and shots peppered all across the rooftop. The story tends to go by the book from then on. A couple smaller twists unfold as we head for the finale which brings Cross, Waller and the person close to Queen to justice...

Supermax isn't really a super-hero movie masquerading as a prison break, but instead a prison break movie masquerading as a super-hero movie. The script is well written, there's really no "Six Sense" style twist at the end. It is good, but it doesn't seem too high above the ordinary. If it were to get the right director and casting attached it could rise above average to something memorable. Some choices for directors would be Paul Greengrass(highly unlikely) to Timur Bekmambetov(who would be perfect for a vehicle like this). This script kind of reminds me of something along the lines of Marvel's "Blade"(but still not as good) which was a cool, fun comic book actioner featuring an interesting character that most people not into comics wouldn't know about. I just don't feel we got to know Oliver Queen as much as we should. To care for someone you have to be invested in them emotionally and although I liked him... I didn't love him. And I wanted to.

I've heard that this script is stuck in development hell at the moment... perhaps Goyer should take that time to polish it up. Not to make a bad script good, but to make a good one better. My biggest complaint is that it follows the traditional formula for this type of film and doesn't offer anything we haven't seen before. Perhaps more of a focus on what happens inside the prison and the characters Queen comes in contact with could change this normal script into one that is super...

Casting Persia...

It appears that the cast for "Prince of Persia" is starting to fill out now that they've got their leads. Today Variety announced that Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley will join Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton in the Mike Newell-directed adaptation of Ubisoft's popular video game.

Molina will play Sheik Amar, who becomes a mentor to the Prince Dastan(Gyllenhaal).

Kingsley will play the role of Nizam, the Royal Adviser to King Shahraman.

Shooting will begin in July in the United Kingdom and Morocco.

Mouse Buys Disney Guide...

Walt Disney Pictures has purchased the spec script "Self-Guided" in the mid-six figures by Jared Stern with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman attached to produce through their Mandeville Films.

The tale focuses on a man who finds himself back in high school as a guidance counselor so he can give advice to his younger self.

Bots Over Bodies...

It's kind of ironic that another movie featuring MoCap is coming from Robert Zemeckis via the Mouse...

It seems the man has abandoned film making with actors in favor of living in a world where he only has to deal with actors for a few weeks instead of months. I'm beginning to think that what one Hollywood insider told me could be true. Zemeckis has simply gotten tired of dealing the demands and idiosyncrasies of actors. He hasn't abandoned film, but appears more and more he's abandoned actors as part of the process. At the very least he's limited his involvement with them to as little time as possible. I guess the experiences he's had over the last two decades have had him say "enough is enough".

Well, enough of my rantings...

Michael Dougherty("X2",Superman Returns") is attached to direct the performance capture sci-fi adventure "Calling All Robots" for Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers production shingle. The film is described to be in the vein of the 50's Sci-Fi monster movies ala "Godzilla"... so that aspect of it could be pretty cool, but I wish they'd quit trying to create realistic representations of actors. I think this could be accomplished easily, and um... better using the real thing. It's one thing to create a creature like Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings", but to try and recreate something we see throughout our entire life, everyday is almost impossible. It's a monumental, mostly impossible task to cheat the human eye when it comes to realistic humans. Hopefully, the characters in this film will be stylised representations, not realistic depictions.

Here's hoping this is going to be good. No, scratch that. Here's hoping I'm wrong and it's great...

Unfinished Business: The 5 Best Scripts Hollywood Never Made...

Question: "How many Development Executives does it take to screw in a light bulb?"

Answer: "Does it have to be a light bulb?"

- An old Film Industry joke about Development Executives.


Not all of the movies we see that suck started out that way. A film can take literally decades to gestate before going before cameras with the right team... or wrong team leading it. Hollywood is filled with giant egos, all wanting to take credit for something to validate a reason for having the title above their office door...

I've had quite a few people e-mail me over that past year or so whenever I talk about scripts or films. Many have asked me about other scripts I've read that I love. I thought I'd make a short list of several of the scripts I've read and put together what I believe are the best five scripts that Hollywood hasn't filmed. Granted, this is based on my own personal taste and if you don't like my taste you may not like these scripts. I originally thought I'd do a top ten list, but felt that it might be too many in one post. I'll instead focus on these five. If there's enough interest I'll add to the list with another five.

So without further ado...


Captain Blood - Screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh

PITCH: Think "Gladiator" set in the age of pirating. A swashbuckling epic that took the great 1935 film by director Michael Curtiz starring Errol Flynn into a much more gritty realization. Unlike "Pirates," there are no cursed, ghost pirates or giant, mythic sea creatures... only cursed men and high seas action. A doctor named Peter Blood is sold into slavery and put to work in Port Royal. Spanish pirates attack the unprepared Port Royal, Blood and other prisoners escape while the pirates attack is happening and take their galleon with them. The Pirates are quickly captured by the British. They set a path for a prisoner island filled with many more like themselves and then begin a pirating career on the open ocean that leads Blood back toward justice and redemption against the man responsible for his fate.

STATUS: Dead and buried. This was in development before Disney or anyone else thought about turning "Pirates of the Caribbean" into a film. The movie was to star a very career hot, at the time, Alec Baldwin. It went through various revisions and Frank Darabond did the later versions. Not a bad person to do a rewrite of your work, if you ask me. With the box office bomb "Cutthroat Island" in the mid 90's, pirate movies became "persona non grata" and the film languished for a while before Suits had it walk the plank...


Nevaland - Screenplay by Kevin Lewis & Troy Scott

PITCH: Think of "Peter Pan" meets "Romeo & Juliet"(the Leonardo Decaprio film version) with the action from "The Fast and the Furious" thrown in. This modern day retelling of the classic story by J. M. Barrie is set in contemporary New York during Christmas time. It's an enchanting love story about a young girl named Wendy from the New York burrows that meets a young, edgy party bad-boy named Peter who is on the run from some gang members working for a night club owner with one hand, one hook and a vendetta against him. He takes Wendy into his world which involves nightclubs, wild chases and a romantic night filled with romance and adventure on the island of Manhattan. Get it? As Long Island is a motiff for Neverland? A truly great read. A clever reinvention that's fast, fresh and perfect for todays market.

STATUS: Development Hell. I particularly loved the cast that was attached or rumored to be with this script. Samuel L. Jackson was connected with the Hook/Nightclub Owner character and if you've read the script he would've been dead-on. There was talk of Hayden Christensen as the Peter character, Rosario Dawson as the daughter of a rival nightclub owner named Lily, and Rachel Lee Cook for a punker pal of Pete's nicknamed Tink. Oh well...


Sherlock Holmes and the Vengeance of Dracula - Screenplay by Michael B. Valle

PITCH: Think literally Sherlock Holmes meets Dracula. Everything that "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" got wrong, this script got right. It takes two classic characters from the turn of the century, that occupied a similar place and has them meet. Taking place in 1891, it involves a great deal of characters from both books and has Holmes investigating a series of murders as Dracula has made it back to London. Holmes, a man of absolute logic has to come to grip with the fact that the criminal he's hunting doesn't correspond to his "elementary" view of the facts. Many of the characters that populate the novels of each book are here... including that "Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty" as well. I love, love, love this script. There is not a day goes by when I go to a theater that I don't wish I was setting down to watch this on the silver screen.

STATUS: Dead. But like Dracula, I pray it rises from the dead. I just don't hope some fool does a unneeded rewrite like happened on "I Am Legend" that winds up taking a great script and turning it into a good one. Chris Columbus was at one time attached to direct this. It languished for the last four or five years before dropping off the buzz meter. Sigh...


Smoke and Mirrors - Screenplay by Lee Batchler & Janet Scott Batchler

PITCH: Think "Raiders of the Lost Ark" meets "Lawrence of Arabia" meets "Casablanca." Nice huh? It's a deeply rich, action/romance that involves a famous French magician Jean Robert Houdin(a real person, btw) who is enlisted by his government to go the French colony of Algeria to expose a local shaman that is terrifying people with his magic. He takes his young, lovely wife with him and encounters a handsome French Legionnaire that has a fancy for his wife. If you'd like to read more about the film/script check out this article I wrote last year called: Development Hell: Disney Style.

STATUS: Dead. Worse that dead, really. Dead and gone... It was a script designed to star Sean Connery. If you've read it, you'll understand that only a few people could do this roll. With Connery retired it's harder to find someone with his charisma that could fill this roll. It was on the verge of being made in the mid to late 90's and then fell back into oblivion and hasn't been seen or heard from since...


Thor - Screenplay by Mark Protosevich

PITCH: Think "Conan" meets "The 13th Warrior" set in the world of "Lord of the Rings." Wow... pretty cool, huh? The adaption of the Marvel Comics character throws away the version where he's a mild, normal man who's a disabled doctor that becomes the Mighty Thor after finding a stick and follows closer to Walt Simonson's take on the hot-headed Norse god(comic book geeks will know what I'm talking about here). In this story which takes place in an unnamed world populated by Norsemen, Thor and his brethren do battle with the Ice Giants. His brother Loki discovers a long lost secret and plots the downfall of his brother, clearing the way for his plot to seize Asgard. Primal, Macho action here. Young boys will be eating this up...

STATUS: Languishing. Marvel Comics still hasn't decided to greenlite the film. Matthew Vaughn is attached to direct it and is waiting to hear from the Marvel Suits. It is truly an epic film and will take an epic budget. I pray that they don't decide to go for a rewrite like they did with a fabulous "Fantastic Four" script by Michael France and Chris Columbus in favor of the sitcom style mediocrity that the final film turned out to be. Will it get made as is? Or will the tinkering of development executives destroy what would be a huge blockbuster for Marvel? Only the gods know...