Prequels, Sequels & Remakes

MGM studio heads Harry Sloan and Mary Parent revealed at Cannes that 1984’s Red Dawn and 1987’s Robocop were both being considered for remakes. That’s the extent of information. *sigh*

Summit Entertainment is developing a “reboot” or “reimagining” of 1986’s Highlander, with Art Marcum and Matt Molloway writing the script and Peter Davis, who was a producer on the original, producing. *siiiiigh*

Columbia is in talks for film rights to update and reboot Flash Gordon, with Breck Eisner to direct and Neal Moritz to produce.

Pre-production is about to start on the two Lord of the Rings prequels. Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens are expected to write the scripts under Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro's direction. Along with Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis, Viggo Mortenson has been contacted to reprise the role of Aragorn. A transcript of Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s live chat, An Unexpected Party Chat. Also, Christopher Tolkien, son of JRR Tolkien, in what he calls “one last crusade,” will try to get a judge to back his claim that he can “terminate” the film rights for The Hobbit and the other unnamed prequel in a hearing on June the 6th.

Christian Bale, who has already started shooting on the first, has signed on for all three Terminator movies to play John Connor. Also Warner Brothers has released the plot for the fourth installment: “The future that Connor was raised to believe is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.”

X-Men Origins: Wolverine has finished principal photography.

Big surprise, George Lucas is thinking of a fifth Indy: "I haven't even told Steven [Spielberg] or Harrison this, but I have an idea to make Shia the lead character next time and have Harrison come back, like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out." Plus, Russian Communist Party members want to ban Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. (Submitted by Sitting Duck)

Screenwriter Roberto Orci on Transformers 2: “But for fans, I guess I'll address this more for the fans, because I think if you didn't know Transformers at all and you came in and you liked the first movie, you'll like the second one. However, some of the die hard fans, which we were a member of that group, felt, well, maybe it's a little light. Maybe it wasn't science fictiony enough. And I think the second one will deliver on a true Transformers story. You know, the first one, we had a limited budget for what it was. Every second of Transformer time is a million dollars or whatever the heck it is, so this time, because we were able to prove through the whole thing that it's a viable live-action movie, we have a little more freedom this time to actually learn about the Transformers, see them, hear them. It's a better balance between the humans and the Transformers.” Also that it will have Soundwave.

TrekMovie.com has some spoilers about Star Trek XI’s villains.

Jack Black on the possibility of a School of Rock sequel: “I’d really like to do it, the last one was great. We are seriously thinking about it, there’s already a script. In a few weeks we have to decide if we go through with the project or not.”

Marvel Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo says that Sony has renewed their film rights to Spiderman. There’re also rumors that James Vanderbilt has written a script that will cover two movies to be shot back to back.

Tony Todd is in talks to star in a sequel to the George Romero Dawn of the Dead.

Synopsis for The Cell 2: “The Cusp is a serial killer who kills his victims and then brings them back to life...over and over again until they beg to die. Maya is a psychic investigator who gained her powers after a 1 year coma after she was the Cusp's first victim. Now the Cusp Killer is back and Maya has little time to do what she has never done before: Go into the mind of a killer unprotected, and save his latest victim.”

Director Oliver Parker and star Rupert Everett will return for a St. Trinians sequel, St. Trinians: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold. “The next installment of the Brit schoolgirl romp finds the mischief-making heroines set off on a treasure hunt after they discover headmistress Miss Fritton, played by Everett, is related to pirates.”