I get alot of nice emails from people pointing me to the big stories I should know about, announcements of new movies that they know I would be excited about and things like that. I appreciate you guys looking out for me but also I figured I should mention some of the big ones to save you guys the trouble of making sure I know about them…
And anyway there are some things worth discussing in the comments.
1. STEVEN SEAGAL: LAWMAN renewed for season 2.
I know there were some doubts (even my cable box called the last episode “series finale”) but I figured Chief Seagal knew what was up when he called it the “season finale” on his twittering device. Although the ratings dropped after its spectacular debut it was still high for the fuckin A&E network. (Too bad that didn’t work for BLADE and Spike TV.)
The new season was apparently already filmed during Mardi Gras, which I hope means they harass more white people, possibly while in the process of going wild. It’s also 16 episodes, 3 more than season 1.
2. They actually green lit another RIDDICK movie!
This to me is the most exciting news contained in this post. Poor Vin Diesel has been trying to get this shit off the ground for years, and everybody always makes fun of him. But somehow he pulled it off, and I know many of you share in my excitement for this character. I don’t even care which way they go, the more streamlined storytelling of a PITCH BLACK or the absurd “world building” bullshit of the second one. Either one I’d pay for because he’s alternately awesome and hilarious.
Sounds like they’re going for the first one:
“Though billed as a back-to-basics approach to the character popularized by Diesel, the script features the character — the most wanted man in the galaxy — left for dead on a barren alien planet, dealing with ‘trisons’ (three-legged bisons) and ‘mud demons.’ He must then contend with two squads of bounty hunters, one of which ride rockets called jetcycles.”
They call them “jetcycles,” huh? That’s some fancy lingo. It sounds like a good idea, a more stripped down stuck-on-a-planet story, more like a badass western kind of setup instead of trying to be the next STAR WARS. Of course, it’ll be a shame if they don’t do something big with that great ending from CHRONICLES. Even my buddy who groaned all the way through that movie admitted that he liked the ending so much he hoped they’d make a sequel.
Keep in mind Diesel’s also doing another FAST AND FURIOUS with Justin Lin, which is great news since I enjoyed Lin’s FAST AND FURIOUS and loved his TOKYO DRIFT. I was also hoping they’d get him for XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE, which was still on as recently as 4 months ago. Rob Cohen had dropped out of that one. IMDb claims it’s gonna be some guy who did the Mark Wahlberg movie INVINCIBLE and was cinematographer for the first THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, the one with the ‘the’s in it.
I didn’t really like XXX, but the opening is real funny and it’s such an absurd concept that there’s potential to make it much more fun. In fact the second one, with Ice Cube, was somewhat enjoyable. I look forward to finding out how they explain the reports of his death in part 2, which was also illustrated in a hilarious DVD extra called “THE DEATH OF XANDER CAGE,” where Diesel’s stunt double plays Cage, and you only see him from the back wearing a big fur coat. He goes into a building, it blows up, and you see the skin with the xXx tattoo from the back of his neck flop onto the ground.
3. Bruce tells MTV “I think we’re going to do DIE HARD 5 next year.”
I don’t take this one too seriously. He was talking about part 4 for years before it got off the ground, and he makes it clear that there’s no plans really in place. I guess the most significant thing said is “Well it’s got to go worldwide.” I’m sure if that’s what he wants that’s what he’ll get, so there’s our first clue of the content. He also says he would want Len Wiseman back (after the reporter directly asks him – he doesn’t bring it up himself).
4. David the Demon DeFalco has a new movie coming out today
It stars some wrestlers whose names sound familiar and Ja Rule, and is supposedly kind of a ripoff of COMMANDO. I’m excited to see it and will give it a fair shot, but my local video store passed on it. So look forward to that review but I gotta figure out how to see it first.
5. I think there was something else I wanted to address, but I forget what it was.
Something real important in my opinion.
UPDATE: Galat correctly guessed in the comments that it was gonna be
5. Shane Black is directing again
He’s doing a movie of the pulp character DOC SAVAGE. Not much else is known. Harry actually broke this one a while back after a conversation at a pool party or something, but now it’s officially confirmed in Variety.
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:35 am
5. – Was it Shane Black directing again?