Impossible Mission: Man From Uncle...

Well, it appears Tom Cruise won't be starting a new spy franchise anytime soon...

The star has dropped out of the lead for Guy Ritchie's "The Man From Uncle" adaptation.  It appears that the scheduling conflict for filming this would have interfered with Cruise being actively involved in producing M:I 5 and he had to withdraw from the role.

So Warner Bros. and Ritchie are now on the hunt for another actor to play the role.  The film has had various actors in and out of the role (George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, etc.) since Steven Soderbergh was attached to make a retro-60's spy film for the Bunny.

Apparently the script is ready for production and the film was scheduled to film in late 2013, which is the reason it was a conflict for Cruise.  The fifth M:I film is currently being written by Drew Pearce, and is expected to be directed by Christopher MacQuarrie although he's not yet signed.  So who will get cast as Napoleon Solo?  Who will want it?  Robert Downey Jr. said something about wanting to create another non-Marvel franchise.

And he has worked with Guy Ritchie on another franchise...

Mission Statements...

     
   
 

          

Tom Cruise is building momentum for a fifth Mission: Impossible film...

While it was thought that Christopher McQuarrie would write and direct the film, another writer has been hired.  Drew Pearce ("Iron Man 3", "Pacific Rim") has been hired to pen the script for the next outing.  McQuarrie is still in talks to direct the film, but it's not known if he'll share the writing duties.

Given his pedigree it's likely he might still be involved in the script.  Pearce was initially the sole screenwriter on Iron Man 3 and Shane Black was hired as just the director.  But being a writer it was impossible to keep Black from coming in and doing some typing.  In the end he shared writer credit with Drew.  The same could happen with this next mission if Christopher wants to put his imprint on the page.

Nothing is impossible...

Bird Calling...

Lights, camera, magic...






It goes without saying that I think Brad Bird is a genius...

So when I say I'm looking forward to "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocal" it's because of Bird, not Tom Cruise. I really have to give Cruise the credit and courage to go with Brad though. There is still a sad stigma about someone being good at animation and not being good at live-action. But the superstar gets it. And so does the film's producer, J.J. Abrams.

In an interview with MTV, he was practically gushing about Bird and what he's seen so far of the film. Now, he came up with the idea, hired the writers and is producing it so there is every reason he would want to promote this. But if you remember that screening of new trailers that was held at an event in Europe earlier this year, the trailer for this film was the one that made everyone take note. Hopefully, we'll get a teaser soon or perhaps a full trailer up on "Super 8."

Bird has never given me anything that I haven't loved, from the skewed humor of "The Simpsons," to the soft charm of "Ratatouille," the sheer wonder of "The Incredibles" or the pure brilliance of "The Iron Giant." I have every faith that this film will be the best in the series and help Cruise regain a bit of that glow he lost when he got up on Oprah's couch. And with Abrams guiding the way it can only add up to even more cinema goodness. Maybe when the Suits over at Warner see the box office receipts from this they'll finally be convinced to back his vision of "1906" as his next project.

Or if not, maybe the one sequel that everyone wants will finally come to fruition: "The Incredibles 2". But for that to happen, Lasseter will have to wait till the director comes knocking on his door with an idea he deems worthy of a part deux. Either way, I expect there will nothing less that amazing when it comes from Brad Bird.

He may be given everyone a surprise holiday present on December 16, 2011...

Hat Tip to /Film.

Warner's Wish List...

Here we come Marvel...


Just as Disney/Marvel is moving ahead with its men-in-tights plans, so is Warner/DC...

DC Entertainment's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns recently spoke to Newsarama about the future of Warner's comic book properties and while he couldn't/wouldn't say that these projects were greenlit, he did stress the ones that he'd like to see. Since he caries a lot of weight in what happens there you can bet much of this has a good chance of actually coming true. Here are some of what he'd like to see:



Wonder Woman - Princess Diana of Amazon Island, has been the subject of a comic, the "Super Friends" animated series, William Dozier's attempted 60's series that was/would have been disastrous, a 70's television series and numerous other merchandising efforts, but a theatrical release has long evaded her. Even Joss Whedon's resume and script were not enough to get her off the ground and into theaters apparently. Johns thinks that's about to change and Diane Nelson and the others at DCE seemed determined to bring her into the modern reality. For anyone that has never heard of this character (really?), she's princess from a tall race of Amazon women sent from her hidden island paradise to the world of man to basically, save man from himself. Go, girl power! I am curious to find out what talent gets attached to this because it'll not only show us they're serious, but exactly what kind of direction they're headed.



Blue Beetle - Not, the Ted Kord version, which is my favorite (and the inspiration for Daniel Dreiberg/Nite Owl), but the Jaime Reyes version that is the most different and recent. For the many that haven't heard of this title, Reyes is a young teen in Texas that finds a blue beetle scarab that happens to be an ancient technological instrument of war. He takes it home and while asleep, the devise connects or fuses itself to his back. The scarab is actually an alien tool of battle that works with and against Reyes to give him access to incredible powers.



Sleeper - The comic book series written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips about an undercover agent placed in a secret organization. That agent happens to have had contact with an alien artifact that allows him to feel no pain and actually store up that pain to pass on to others. He rises within the organization, trapped by its power and continually working to destroy it. Along the way he falls for member of the organization and it only complicates matters. Think of this as a "The Departed" meets "The X-Files" that would make an amazing movie if done right. It's been in Development Hell for Tom Cruise for quite some time.



Suicide Squad - Think of this as a superhero version of the "A-Team." A group of former/current(?) villains were sent by government operatives to take care of a mission that was perceived to be suicidal... hence the name Suicide Squad. The story involves government intrigue, espionage, back stabbing and infighting as well as saving the nation they fought against from destruction. Given the right writer and director, this could be a fun action film, sans the cheesy costumes of course (A prime example being the characters in The X-Men films).



100 Bullets - Johns mentioned trying to get a version of this limited series comic to the screen. For those that don't remember, this is one of the titles I mentioned the Mouse should try and make in my "Without Tights" post pre-MA*. The comic series, written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso was published under the Vertigo imprint and is a tale of revenge and possible redemption. Each story has an agent show up to some aggrieved person to present them with a gun and 100 bullets that are totally untraceable, with this weapon they will be able to get away without anyone knowing that they killed the person responsible for their predicament. The events play out on a larger canvas as the story unfolds and becomes more complex. This would make an excellent television series if done correctly.

He also mentioned a couple of projects that are now considered a given (Batman #7/3, Man of Steel, Green Lantern and a likely Flash). These are projects I'm sure you'll be hearing more about in the future, say around Comic-Con 2010?

Interesting things are ahead in the very, near present I'd say...

Impossible Bird...

If you haven't heard the news, Brad Bird is now signed for MI4...

Tom Cruise sorta, kinda admitted that the deal is done and Bird is ready to film the sequel to Cruise's popular franchise. I know that Brad is hoping this will convince the Suits at Warner to pony up the cash for his "1906" film. Once he's showed that he can handle a big budget actioner and it make money they'll feel more comfortable with him handling a $200 million dollar film, which is what that historical epic would have cost.

Thankfully, they've moved the release date to December 16, 2011. Which gives the genius that the "Incredibles" director much more time to craft the film's expensive/complex action scenes, instead of rushing them to meet impossible May release date. That was a year away and would have been increasingly difficult to accomplish. Even for Bird. More time, better film... hopefully.

Of course, my dream would be once this film is done, the Warner Suits actually have Nolan talk to him about directing that "Man of Steel" movie that they're developing.

But hey, that's just me...

Should You Choose To Except This Assignment...

Brad Bird is a frickin' genius...

I have loved everything he has done. From "The Simpsons" to "Family Dog" to "The Iron Giant" to The Incredibles" to "Ratatouille." Everything he's done is great, well crafted and extremely entertaining. And I was looking forward to him directing his first live-action film, "1906" for 2011/12. But we broke (hear that Hollywood Reporter?) the news that the Suits over at Warner were nervous handing a guy that had never done live action such a large budget production and had gotten cold feet.

And then the news came last month about him being up for the fourth "Mission Impossible" film starring Jerry Maguire. Surprising but not unpleasant news, I must say. I was underwhelmed by the first two of the films, but actually loved J.J. Abrams take on the series. I would think that this third sequel would be my most anticipated were the director to be named Bird. And now that may happen. It's all a matter of money right now. And in Hollywood, that's the bottom line. He and the studio will have to reach an agreement soon because they want the sequel out Memorial Day, 2011. Ok Paramount operatives, hire the Bird and this difficult mission will commence immediately.

This post will self destruct in ten seconds...

Hat Tip to Vulture via /Film.