Arad Talks Travolta, PUNISHER Story

Marvel Studios head Avi Arad talks about their choice of John Travolta as the villain in THE PUNISHER, as well as what storylines they will be taking from.


Dark Horizons had the details:

Today, Marvel head honcho Avi Arad talked with MTV about the role - "We didn't want to do a cliché villain. We are going for a dignified businessman [who is] cold but almost charming. And we are going to see his world fall apart like he made Frank's world fall apart. ... There is a lot of pain to what happens to Saint in this movie. And we needed an actor who can carry a real emotional journey". Arad also revealed that they'll heavily use Garth Ennis' acclaimed 'Welcome Back Frank' storyline - "It's great characters. It's going to be obviously a hard movie, but there were also great scenes [in the comics] that were almost funny...We'd like to take the Punisher saga and turn it into a real interesting film about emotions, about punishment, and deal both with the hero and the villain evenhandedly as people first and see what happens when the shoe is on the other foot. And you really need great actors to pull it off".

Gere Begins Sleepwalking

Richard Gere (UNFAITHFUL) is in negotiations to star in SLEEPWALKER for Intermedia Films. The film, an English-language remake of Johannes Runenberg’s Swedish film, is about an architect that wakes up one morning to find that his wife and two children have disappeared. He begins to suspect that his chronic sleepwalking is the cause and therefore straps a video camera to himself, hoping to solve the mystery. Nick Kazan and Doug Wright wrote the English adaption.

Rispoli Swings for MR. 3000

Michael Rispoli (THE SOPRANOS) has joined the cast of MR. 3000, starring Bernie Mac. Mac is set to play a retired Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer who comes out of retirement when three of his past hits are disallowed, dropping his career number below 3000. Through the process, he realizes how selfish he had been as a young player and through mentoring a rookie, he realizes how much he loves the game. Rispoli will play Mac's former teammate who is now his business partner. Charles Stone (DRUMLINE) is directing.

Yeoh and Chow Teaming Up Again

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON's Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat are teaming up again for HUA MULAN. The film is described as a Chinese historical epic. Production begins on August 22 in China.

Snoop and Method Fly SOUL PLANE

Snoop Dogg and Method Man have agreed to star in SOUL PLANE for director Jesse Terrero. The film is described as an urban version of AIRPLANE. Snoop will play the plane's pilot, while Method will play Muggsy, the best friend of the airline owner who is put in charge of the airline's business class.

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"If somebody said to me, in twelve years you’ll be in a band with your brother and two carrot munching geezers who don’t like football, I would've said 'fuck off, I’m not joining the Bee Gees." -Noel Gallagher 2005

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JINX script done?

According to a report that first surfaced at the MI6 James Bond website (and that first cropped up yesterday on E! Entertainment News), the screenplay for the still untitled JINX movie is all done. Written by DIE ANOTHER DAY screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, the film is supposed to launch a spinoff franchise based on Halle Berry's CIA spy seen in the last James Bond film.

Hanks likes THE SPIDER AND THE FLY

While Tom Hanks is presently busy starring in the cinematic adaptation of the childrens book THE POLAR EXPRESS, he's also struck a deal to adapt another kids book to the silver screen. Hanks and business partner Gary Goetzman have inked a deal with Universal Pictures to bring THE SPIDER AND THE FLY to life as a CGI feature film. The picture will be written and directed by Bradley Peyton, his first studio feature-length project.

The book, based on Mary Botham Howitt's 1829 poem and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, is about a male spider who tries to beguile a female fly to land on his web.

__________________
"If somebody said to me, in twelve years you’ll be in a band with your brother and two carrot munching geezers who don’t like football, I would've said 'fuck off, I’m not joining the Bee Gees." -Noel Gallagher 2005

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