356 replies to this topic

[danslittlefinger]

http://www.collider....cowboys-aliens/



As we reported on Monday, Robert Downey Jr. has dropped out of the adaptation of Scott Mitchell Rosenberg comic book series Cowboys & Aliens. But now we are hearing through sources that Daniel Craig is in negotiations to replace him in the lead role of Zeke Jackson. Obviously, this would be very cool since it would be his first collaboration with Jon Favreau, who is directing the film from a script by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek), and Damon Lindelof (Lost).

Let me stress: “In negotiations” means that Craig has not been cast in the role. What it means is that they’re trying to work out a deal for him to star, but sometimes things don’t work out. Maybe the schedule for Bond 23 moves up or he decides to do a different project. Whatever the reason, let me stress once more: Daniel Craig is in negotiations for the role, but he has not been cast.

Hit the jump to read a brief synopsis along with what Orci and Kurtzman had to say about the film when we spoke to them back in October. Cowboys & Aliens is currently set to be released sometime in 2011.

For those not familiar with the premise of Cowboys & Aliens, here’s the logline:

In Silver City, Arizona, Apache Indians and Western settlers must lay their differences aside when an alien spaceship crash lands in their city.

Now that Cowboys & Aliens script is a go, how is that film developing and how is it to work with Jon Favreau?

ALEX KURTZMAN: It’s the greatest.


ROBERTO ORCI: We just started and we’re getting along really well. We’ve sent ourselves back to school and we’re watching Westerns together and analyzing them. We’re just getting into it.

Have you found any good references?

KURTZMAN: Oh, yeah.


ORCI: We just watched The Searchers last.


KURTZMAN: We had a lot of these Westerns in our head, but Jon is an incredible fountain of Western knowledge.


ORCI: And, Star Trek was originally pitched as a space Western, anyway, so it was a nice lead up to this, for us.


KURTZMAN: I think Jon also comes from a very similar emotional place and, because he’s an actor, he knows what plays and what doesn’t play very quickly. We’re having an unbelievably good time working with him.

http://thefilmstage....cowboys-aliens/

With Robert Downey Jr. officially leaving the project a few days ago, Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau is already in negotiations with another star for his next blockbuster, Cowboys & Aliens. Collider reports that Daniel Craig is in talks take over Downey’s role. As previously reported, the film may start shooting in 3D as soon as this July. Check out the full Scott Mitchell Rosenberg comic here. With Lost’s Damon Lindelof helping Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, Transformers 2) on script duties, I’m definitely excited!


~ Doesn't seem the type of thing Craig goes for surely? Wasn't the Invasion enough?

[dinovelvet]

~ Doesn't seem the type of thing Craig goes for surely? Wasn't the Invasion enough?

The Invasion started off as a would-be classy psychological thriller so we can't blame him for that one.

But why not? He just did 8 shows a week of an intense play, so if he's now sitting around waiting for Bond 23 to start, why not have a laugh and do a blockbuster?

[danslittlefinger]

~ Doesn't seem the type of thing Craig goes for surely? Wasn't the Invasion enough?

The Invasion started off as a would-be classy psychological thriller so we can't blame him for that one.

But why not? He just did 8 shows a week of an intense play, so if he's now sitting around waiting for Bond 23 to start, why not have a laugh and do a blockbuster?

Umm Dino, he IS doing something.
He will start shooting 'Dream House' (Jim Sheridan) soon in Toronto (apparently according to Twitter he is already there) until April.

THAT film sounds dodgy too.

[dinovelvet]

Umm Dino, he IS doing something.
He will start shooting 'Dream House' (Jim Sheridan) soon in Toronto (apparently according to Twitter he is already there) until April.

THAT film sounds dodgy too.

Difficult to tell on that one. On paper it sounds like a run of the mill horror film...but Jim Sheridan directing? Hmm. Maybe there's something about it.

[danslittlefinger]

Umm Dino, he IS doing something.
He will start shooting 'Dream House' (Jim Sheridan) soon in Toronto (apparently according to Twitter he is already there) until April.

THAT film sounds dodgy too.

Difficult to tell on that one. On paper it sounds like a run of the mill horror film...but Jim Sheridan directing? Hmm. Maybe there's something about it.

Has to be something spectacular. Apparently the script has one of those "surprises" that no-one shouldn't tell anyone. Like that "I see dead people" thing.

I hope Craig knows his a r s e from a hole in the ground on this one.

[Qwerty]

Now on the CBn main page...

Daniel Craig approached for Cowboys and Aliens lead

James Bond star offered lead role in DreamWorks project

[Safari Suit]

~ Doesn't seem the type of thing Craig goes for surely? Wasn't the Invasion enough?

The Invasion started off as a would-be classy psychological thriller so we can't blame him for that one.

Well it still would have been the third remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers so, Downfall director or not, I doubt it would have ever been real art house fare. I kind of liked The Invasion anyway.

This sounds like it could be fun, assuming this is a campy adventure style-thing, as I doubt these guys are capable of writing anything else.

[SecretAgentFan]

I liked THE INVASION, too. And COWBOYS AND ALIENS will be directed by Jon Favreau, Craig has connections to DreamWorks...

... and lots of time to fill. So, go for it Daniel! BOND 23 won´t start to shoot until the end of the year or even later. Why sit around? You want to have a career apart from Bond, too.

[dinovelvet]

I liked THE INVASION, too. And COWBOYS AND ALIENS will be directed by Jon Favreau, Craig has connections to DreamWorks...

Spielberg is listed as a producer too, so with Munich and Tintin, this would be his third collaboration with Craig.

I wanted to like The Invasion, but the film made me not like it. I would be interested in seeing Oliver Hirschbiegel's original version, which presumably has 100% less tacked-on car chases, and everybody not suddenly looking two years older in some scenes.

[Germanlady]

Concerning Dream House - another high profile name is attached to it, so its unlikely its all that bad...

http://www.variety.c...w...013361&cs=1

Five-time Oscar nominee Caleb Deschanel ("The Passion of the Christ," "The Right Stuff," "The Natural" and others) is the latest recipient of the American Society of Cinematographers' Lifetime Achievement Award, which he'll officially accept at the ASC's 24th annual gala awards dinner Feb. 27 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in L.A.

Deschanel -- who is prepping a suspense drama called "Dreamhouse," to be directed by Jim Sheridan and scheduled to shoot in Toronto in February -- took a few minutes with Variety to reflect on the current crop of Oscar hopefuls and the state of cinematography.

[SecretAgentFan]

I liked THE INVASION, too. And COWBOYS AND ALIENS will be directed by Jon Favreau, Craig has connections to DreamWorks...

Spielberg is listed as a producer too, so with Munich and Tintin, this would be his third collaboration with Craig.

I wanted to like The Invasion, but the film made me not like it. I would be interested in seeing Oliver Hirschbiegel's original version, which presumably has 100% less tacked-on car chases, and everybody not suddenly looking two years older in some scenes.

Absolutely. But was that version ever finished? Maybe they can release it at some point like they did with Schrader´s "Exorcist"-version.

[Germanlady]

I liked THE INVASION, too. And COWBOYS AND ALIENS will be directed by Jon Favreau, Craig has connections to DreamWorks...

Spielberg is listed as a producer too, so with Munich and Tintin, this would be his third collaboration with Craig.

I wanted to like The Invasion, but the film made me not like it. I would be interested in seeing Oliver Hirschbiegel's original version, which presumably has 100% less tacked-on car chases, and everybody not suddenly looking two years older in some scenes.

Absolutely. But was that version ever finished? Maybe they can release it at some point like they did with Schrader´s "Exorcist"-version.

It got a test screening or several and the response wasn´t good. So they decided to pep it up a bit and also because of DC´s new fame to add some scene with him. That ended in him wearing a terrible wig to match his longer hair. All in al I think, the original was still the better version, as it wasn´t meant to be an action flick.

[Safari Suit]

Can't really see it being released any time in the near future to be honest, as it's not something with a built-in audience like an Exorcist film (the Schrader film was nothing to really write home about BTW). Maybe if they one day package all the Body Snatcher films in a box set or something, but currently I don't believe more than two of those films are owned by the same people.

[SecretAgentFan]

The Kaufman remake IMO is the best.

[Safari Suit]

I think so too, although I've always thought the Ferrara version was underrated (and one of his better films). It wasn't completely ignored at the time critically; Ebert gave it four stars back when he didn't hand them out quite as often as a First School teacher hands out gold stars to reception year students, and even John Walker in Halliwell's Film Guide, who was usually unexcited by genre fare, gave it a good review, but since then it seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Even though I am generally not a big remake fan, I have to admit I have enjoyed all four versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers to varying degrees.

[SecretAgentFan]

Me, too - the basic idea is just very exciting. Although I haven´t seen the Ferrara-film yet. Thanks for the tip!

[Safari Suit]

No problem, it can be picked up pretty cheap on DVD these days (currently £3 on Amazon for example).

Anyway it occurs to me that if this goes through for Daniel, Bond 23 business doesn't go too far off the current track, and Cowboys and Aliens becomes the big, populist hit it seems destined to be Daniel could be the first Bond to truly pull off being a bona-fide A-lister inside and outside of the franchise while still playing Bond. (Though in fairness Rog did have a few decent hits in the UK at the time plus The Cannonball Run, and Broz did OK, but just OK, by Thomas Crown, Dante's Peak, Mars Attacks! and The Mirror Has Two Faces)

[Skudor]

This film sounds like a bad idea in general, Craig or no Craig.

[Zorin Industries]

So James Bond is to allegedly replace Sherlock Holmes in COWBOYS AND ALIENS...? I'm there.

[Safari Suit]

This film sounds like a bad idea in general, Craig or no Craig.

Well, I'm not a fan of Kurtzman and Orci as screenwriters, and the last film of Favreau's I really liked was Made many moons and career-shifts ago (although I thought Zathura was sort of fun), but old west cowboys fighting off aliens? Providing it's a fun romp and not some comic-books-have-come-a-long-way-from-Superfriends thing (I dread to imagine how bad a Kurtzman and Ocri script that tried to be "deep" would be), or posturing quasi-badass Wanted-style bollocks I think it could be a rootin-tootin alien-shootin good time.

[Pierce - Daniel]

film sounds awfull, I hope Craig sees sense and decides to do a more dramatic role, this sort of fare is pretty pointless imo.
But....Cowboys and Aliens shoots this summer? Isn't Bond 23 supposed to film this Summer?

[Cody]

I didn't like the graphic novel at all, there was just nothing to it, but I suppose the basic idea could be expanded into a fun movie.

[dodge]

Dan accepting Downey's turn-downs? I dunno. But, at the least, it would be an upcoming project of his that actually interests me.

[blueman]

Odd timing, right as the MGM bidding deadline looms... perhaps a bit of gamesmanship on somebody's part to get the Bond wagon moving on that "fast track"?

[danslittlefinger]

http://www.variety.c...5...d=1237&cs=1

DreamWorks and Jon Favreau are in talks with Daniel Craig to play the lead role in "Cowboys and Aliens" after Robert Downey Jr. ankled the project.

Craig has been offered the role of Jake Johnson in the pic, based on the 2006 graphic novel about a group of Apache Indians and Western settlers who resolve to patch up their differences when an alien spaceship crash-lands in their city.

Reps for Craig said it was too early to comment on whether the actor would board "Cowboys and Aliens," which Favreau is directing. Project is written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof.

While it is still early days and Craig has not officially accepted the role, the thesp does have a long-standing relationship with DreamWorks, having appeared in "Munich" and "Road to Perdition."

He also stars in Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" for Paramount and Sony.

With production on the next James Bond pic up in the air until the fate of beleagured MGM is decided, Craig may have a open slot in his schedule to shoot "Cowboys and Aliens.

[The Shark]

film sounds awfull, I hope Craig sees sense and decides to do a more dramatic role, this sort of fare is pretty pointless imo.

He needs to stop seeking after morbid character pieces and head for something lighter, something closer to a comedy.

I'm not sure this fits the bill.

[Germanlady]

film sounds awfull, I hope Craig sees sense and decides to do a more dramatic role, this sort of fare is pretty pointless imo.

He needs to stop seeking after morbid character pieces and head for something lighter, something closer to a comedy.

I'm not sure this fits the bill.

As he is known saying - often - he won´t do romantic comedy, this might be as light as we get with him.

[danslittlefinger]

http://www.deadline....-2nd-franchise/

Daniel Craig has closed his deal to star in Cowboys and Aliens for DreamWorks and Universal, as I predicted. Craig will star in an adaptation of Fred Van Lente's graphic novel that was published by Platinum Studios and revolves around cowboys and Native Americans who put aside their Old West differences to battle invading aliens. Craig will play the lead cowboy Zeke Jackson, replacing Robert Downey Jr who exited to jump right back to the Sherlock Holmes sequel. While he likely won't identify himself as "Jackson, Zeke Jackson," Craig has put himself in an enviable position: Cowboys and Aliens has franchise potential. And it will keep him busy while the James Bond/MGM situation plays out. (EXCLUSIVE: Sam Mendes About To Be Hired As "Consultant" On Bond #23) Brian Grazer is producing with Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and Platinum Studios' Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.


Oh boy, I don't know about this one.

[Germanlady]

If true, great news in my book. Its a different role in which he will be able to show he can do humor and that´s what many people want of him, a departure from his serious roles. When I look at the people involved so far, it will be given first rate care and the script can´t be bad either, if high profile actors like RDJ and DC consider dloing it or even agreed to do it. So here´s excited. Will be a busy year for him then and in 2011 we get 4 films - Dream House, Tin Tin, Coyboys and Bond

Edited by Germanlady, 29 January 2010 - 06:19 AM.

[dinovelvet]

Oh boy, I don't know about this one.

Well you have the director of Iron Man and the scribes of the recent Star Trek, so that's a pretty good pedigree as far as summer blockbusters go. At worst, it'll be harmless fun.

I guess potentially then, Daniel could end up juggling sequels to Bond, Cowboys, AND Tintin ... $$$$