Spielberg's Next: NOT "Harvey" (Updated)

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AndyDursin
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Spielberg's Next: NOT "Harvey" (Updated)

#1 Post by AndyDursin »

Sorry to say, but for me, Steven clearly has lost his fastball in recent years and this one is such a safe, pedestrian pick for his next "real" movie (after the CGI fest TINTIN) that it's falling right in line with his recent outings.

Who's gonna star -- Tom Hanks? Jim Carrey? Gotta be either one at this point. :roll:

Los Angeles, CA (August 2, 2009) __ Steven Spielberg will direct as his next film a contemporary adaptation of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Harvey,” a co-production between Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Studios. The announcement was made today by Fox Chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman and DreamWorks partners Stacey Snider and Spielberg.

“Harvey” is the first screenplay by the best-selling novelist Jonathan Tropper.

The film will be produced by Spielberg and Don Gregory, with Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken overseeing the project for Fox 2000, which acquired the rights to the original play in 2008.

“I am very happy to be working again with my friend Tom Rothman who shepherded us through ‘Minority Report,’ and with Elizabeth and Carla, who I’m looking forward to collaborating with,” said Spielberg. “DreamWorks has experienced a creative and profitable relationship with Twentieth Century Fox in the past, and I look forward to renewing that time together.”

“Don Gregory entrusted us with these precious rights, Beth Gabler and Carla Hacken developed an exceptional screenplay and Jim and I had the easy part: Deciding to go first, before anyone else, to a filmmaker who combines the mastery of craft, tone, wit and insight that ‘Harvey’ embodies,” said Rothman. “Steven Spielberg is film's greatest humanist. And we feel blessed as Elwood himself to be collaborating with him, Stacey, and everyone at DreamWorks.”

“Harvey” is the story of an amiable eccentric, Elwood P. Dowd, and his friendship with a six and a half feet tall invisible rabbit and how this affects every member of his family and his community. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and played on Broadway for 1,775 performances between 1944 and 1949. It later was adapted for the 1950 Universal film that starred Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull.

Added Stacey Snider: “This is a story relevant for all times, perhaps more so than ever before. We are so pleased to be able, with Fox, to be bringing this to today’s audiences.”

Casting and pre-production will begin immediately with cameras turning right after the first of the year as a joint venture between the two studios.
Last edited by AndyDursin on Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Monterey Jack
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#2 Post by Monterey Jack »

TOM SERVO: I'm your pilot, Claude Rains, co-pilot, Harvey the rabbit.

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AndyDursin
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#3 Post by AndyDursin »

Monterey Jack wrote:TOM SERVO: I'm your pilot, Claude Rains, co-pilot, Harvey the rabbit.
lol

Any bets on seeing a CGI rabbit at some point? That would just be the icing on the cake.

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#4 Post by Monterey Jack »

AndyDursin wrote: Any bets on seeing a CGI rabbit at some point? That would just be the icing on the cake.
Now, I can see remaking an old movie because the technology wasn't quite there at the time (see Spielbergo's War Of The Worlds), but the whole blinking point of Harvey is that you never actually see the rabbit in question. :? Maybe Roger Rabbit can make a cameo. :wink:

The Pessimist
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#5 Post by The Pessimist »

after the CGI fest TINTIN

?
'Sorry about that one.' -Ed Wood

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#6 Post by Eric W. »

Couldn't be less interested.

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AndyDursin
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#7 Post by AndyDursin »

The Pessimist wrote:after the CGI fest TINTIN

?
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111800 ... id=13&cs=1

Steven Spielberg this week will quietly wrap 32 days of performance-capture lensing on "Tintin," then hand the project to producer Peter Jackson, who will focus on the film's special effects for the next 18 months.

Although the baton-pass is stealthy, "Tintin" is anything but a low-profile project. And that's just the first of many contradictions inherent with the film, which brings together two of cinema's visionaries.

The Tintin comicbook series about a globetrotting teenaged boy reporter, which originated 80 years ago in Belgium, is wildly popular in many countries around the world. In the U.S., however, the character is little-known, especially among children.

Spielberg and Jackson's respective camps have tried to keep a lid on the details of what is expected to become a three-film franchise while hyping the one-of-a-kind aspects of "Tintin's" motion-capture technology, which is being created by Jackson's New Zealand-based effects house Weta.

Just don't ask too many questions.

Spielberg's longtime spokesman Marvin Levy, who welcomed a story on "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn," said, "You have to see it to understand (the technology). It really can't be described."

But he quickly nixed the idea of a visit to the set. "That wouldn't be feasible," he says.

The film's other producer, Kathleen Kennedy, is happy to talk about "Tintin," but admitted the world Spielberg and Jackson are creating is hard to describe.

"It's extremely difficult to explain to someone unless they are standing here next to me," Kennedy says from the Los Angeles set. "And usually then their reaction is, 'Oh my god.' "

Kennedy and Spielberg acquired the project in 1983 after Spielberg's interest in the project was piqued by critics' insistence that his "Raiders of the Lost Ark" harkened back to Tintin's escapades in exotic locations.

But the pair couldn't realistically begin developing the pic until about two years ago, when motion-capture technology finally caught up with the demands of the story. Spielberg received his introduction into the fledgling technology via his producing role on "Monster House." But Jackson, who joined Kennedy and Spielberg on the project in early 2007, is clearly a master of the form. Both the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "King Kong" elevated performance-capture to never-before-seen realism.

Jackson's role as mo-cap mentor to Spielberg, however, prompts the question: Who exactly is steering the "Tintin" ship?

Spielberg will receive sole directing credit on the first film, though even that distinction seems murky given that Jackson is doing the more time-consuming work, spending a year and a half creating the Tintin's world vs. Spielberg's one month on set. Jackson also traveled to Los Angeles for rehearsals and for the first week of shooting.

"It's hard to delineate between directing and producing on films like this," explains one project insider.

Kennedy insists that the transitions between the two creative talents are relatively seamless. "They are amazingly collaborative, even more so than Steven and George (Lucas were on the 'Raiders' films)."

And then, there are the two filmmakers' differing styles and thematic vibes: Spielberg is more character-oriented and relatively lean while Jackson revels in lavish visuals ... and running times.

The conventional wisdom has always been that Spielberg would direct his "Tintin" film, and Jackson would have his own. (It has long been reported that Jackson will helm the second chapter of three "Tintin" films.) There was even speculation that the two films would be shot back to back, much like Jackson's "Lord of the Rings." However, there is no second film in the immediate future or even a script for one at this point.

Paramount and Sony, the first film's co-financiers, have yet to greenlight a followup to the $120 million project and are waiting for a script before making a decision.

The first film, which was No. 11 in Georges "Herge" Remi's 24-book Tintin series, was written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.

Jackson is currently taking a stab at the second film and sketching out ideas, though he wouldn't necessarily take screenplay credit for that film and could possibly hand script duties back to Moffat, Wright and Cornish.

Even the casting of the first film suggests a strong Jackson influence: Beside the inclusion of "LOTR's" Andy Serkis, the helmer made a personal call to enlist star Jamie Bell, who played a supporting role in Jackson's "King Kong."

But Spielberg's camp insists he will have a firm handle on all aspects of the film, including its special effects. Jackson and Spielberg have rigged a video conferencing system by which Spielberg is able to see everything Jackson sees at the Weta facility in New Zealand.

Spielberg and Kennedy also are making their presence felt with the project's early marketing decisions.

Paramount, which will distribute the film in all English-speaking territories and Asia, has the bigger challenge, with much lower awareness of the property in these territories, particularly the United States.

But one Par top exec downplayed any perceived challenges.

"It's not like there was any awareness on 'Kung Fu Panda' either," the exec says. "We had to go out and introduce this property to the world."

Still, "Kung Fu Panda" enjoyed a high-profile voice cast, with stars Angelina Jolie and Jack Black tubthumping in the film's behalf. By contrast, the only household name in "Tintin's" cast is current James Bond incarnation Daniel Craig, who is notorious for eschewing press junkets.

Sony, which is handling all overseas regions outside Asia, will likely have an easier time selling the film ahead of its planned 2011 release because the comicbook, which has been translated into 50 languages, remains hugely popular in the territories Sony will handle, including non-English-speaking Europe and India.

If anyone can overcome the film's challenges and silence the questions, it's the combined superpower of Spielberg and Jackson. Still, this highly anticipated collaboration continues to beg more questions than it answers.

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#8 Post by mkaroly »

I would prefer Spielberg to do the Abe Lincoln picture (which I guess will never get made). HARVEY???? Give me a break. However, based on Spielberg's thing he has for family themes in his movie, based on what was written in the posted article I guess I can see how this would attract him.

At any rate, it'll mean (hopefully) a John Williams score, so that's not all bad. I know absolutely nothing about TINTIN....

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#9 Post by AndyDursin »

Looks like Spielberg is done with HARVEY. Tom Hanks passed and Robert Downey Jr. wasn't "in creative sync" with what Spielberg was interested in making. This is surprising since filming was supposed to start in early 2010.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111801 ... =1&ref=ssp

Steven Spielberg has withdrawn from “Harvey.” He spent the past half year developing the pic, his first directing vehicle for the reconstituted DreamWorks.

Spielberg delivered the news this week to 20th Century Fox, which had earmarked soundstages on the lot for an early 2010 production start. Fox had agreed to have DreamWorks finance 50% of production through its new funding relationship with Reliance, and either distribute domestically or internationally through its arrangement with Disney.

Pic — an adaptation of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a man who befriends a six and a half foot tall invisible rabbit — has been a challenge to pull together since Spielberg committed last August. One of the biggest challenges has been setting a star to play Elwood P. Dowd, the character played by James Stewart in the 1950 film.

Spielberg’s first choice was Tom Hanks, but the actor who is often regarded as a modern day Stewart wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star. Spielberg and Fox spent several months courting Robert Downey Jr. While the star didn’t commit, he made suggestions on rewrites of the Jonathan Tropper script. He and Spielberg never found themselves in creative sync on the script, and the director finally called the whole thing off.

A spokesman confirmed Spielberg’s exit, but wasn’t specific about the reason.

The development is certainly a disappointment for Fox, partly because the project’s trajectory last summer was so dramatic. 20th topper Tom Rothman got the script from his Fox 2000 execs Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken, showed it to Spielberg, and had a yes within days.

Fox 2000 will continue working on “Harvey” and could re-approach Spielberg and Downey.

It wasn’t immediately clear which picture Spielberg will direct instead. He completed production last March on “The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn,” and though he has been preoccupied with Stacey Snider in launching the new DreamWorks and godfathering projects like “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” Spielberg is itching to direct the first film for his new partners at Reliance.

There are several homegrown candidates — he’s got such projects at the Abraham Lincoln Civil War film scripted by his “Munich” writer Tony Kushner, and the Jeff Nathanson-scripted “The 39 Clues,” but it’s clear that Spielberg will be reading a lot of scripts over the holidays.

The Reliance-backed DreamWorks made its first green light, the Shawn Levy-directed Hugh Jackman-starrer “Real Steel.”

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#10 Post by Monterey Jack »

Thank God this fell through.

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