A while back, author Nicholas Sparks explained to Entertainment Weekly that he figures out the plot for his next book by making sure it differs in some significant way from his last: "I just wrote The Lucky One. So the next one won't be a military story. I know that right off the bat. These characters were in their 20s, okay, so the characters are not in their 20s. Okay, so if you're in your 40s, what are the dilemmas? Oh, wait, I've got Nights in Rodanthe coming out, and that's a love story with characters in their 40s, so if I come out with a book just like that, people will think I'm not original." Aw, Sparksy. People will think you're not original no matter what you do! ’Cause you're not!
Silver: I see the folks at Paramount took my advice and sprinkled some Werner Herzog into this trailer. Why hold any of his scenes back? It’s not like his brilliance as a performer gets stale like an overused joke in a comedy trailer. But more than this, what I like — a lot — about this trailer is that it shows us Christopher McQuarrie’s sardonic and sharp sense of humor. The hang-up-and-call-back bit at 1:00 is tonally reminiscent of some of McQuarrie’s best moments from The Usual Suspects and The Way of the Gun.
But back to Herzog for a moment. I’ve often advocated for a Liam Neeson–Jason Statham pairing in his post. But I feel I’ve found a new film that could be just as amazing. A shot-for-shot remake of My Dinner With Andre starring Christopher Walken and Werner Herzog. There’s no doubt that would be the funniest and most compelling movie ever made. Hey, Hollywood, I claim no ownership over any of these ideas. I’m just a fan who wants to see a great film. So please, just make these movies.
Silver: Rem, last Friday when we were off saving humanity from that intergalactic, planet-destroying meteor storm, we missed covering one of the most mind-melting trailers to ever grace the Internet. There have been rumors of RZA’s directorial debut for years, but I never believed this film was real. Well, consider me a believer. And in my best RZA voice, it’s time to “take note, bitches!”
Following weeks of intense negotiations, Sony and AMC have reached a deal to produce 16 final episodes of Breaking Bad. Those episodes will be filmed together but may or may not be split into two seasons depending on how many Emmys Bryan Cranston feels like winning. Grade: A+ [Vulture]
On Saturday, Captain America's Hayley Atwell (29 years old), Clash of the Titans' Alexa Davalos (29), and Made in Dagenham's Rosamund Pike (32) auditioned for a role in Paramount's Jack Reacher movie, One Shot, opposite Tom Cruise (49). Grade: C- [HR]
Sorry, Dirk. Tom Cruise is now confirmed to play crime-fighting drifter Jack Reacher in One Shot, Paramount's adaptation of Lee Child's best-selling thriller, to be directed by Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie. Initial reports of Cruise's possible casting caused an uproar among fans of Child's books last month, since Racher is 6'5" tall and Cruise is only 5'7". Said the author at the time: "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way." Maybe his performance will be motion-captured. Grade: C+ [Deadline]
Game of Thrones' Sean Bean will play more royalty, this time the king in the family-friendlier, slightly less ridiculous-sounding one of the two competing upcoming Snow White movies. He'll be the dad to Snow White (Lily Cole) and husband to her Oscar-tarnishing apple-poisoning stepmom (Julia Roberts). Grade: B- [HR]
