Joe Carnahan Helming White Jazz

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17261

Narc director Joe Carnahan (the upcoming Smokin' Aces) will direct a big screen version of James Ellroy's White Jazz next November, reports CHUD.

JAMES ELLROY IS GETTING NARC-ED
10.29.06
By Devin Faraci
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]It’s been five years between films for Joe Carnahan, the man who directed the modern classic undercover cop movie Narc; his new film, Smokin’ Aces – a balls to the wall action madhouse unlike anything you’ve seen before, and with a killer cast – hits early next year. But it won’t be another half decade before his next film hits, since Carnahan starts shooting an adaptation of one of James Ellroy’s LA Quartet books next November.

“The film I’m doing next is White Jazz, the sequel to LA Confidential,” Carnahan told me when I sat down with him this weekend in the Lake Tahoe hotel and casino where he shot much of Smokin’ Aces.

“My brother and I wrote the adaptation,” he said. “That script is one of my favorites. It’s heartbreaking. It’s, to me, what that book always was – the point of departure from the Eisenhower 50s to the psychedelic freakshow, Manson 60s. It’s a total combination of the two with a heavy, heavy voice-over narration, this kind of classic noir. I love the script, dude. I’m going to get it out there – once it’s done I’m going to get it on the internet so people can read it.”

White Jazz may not be Carnahan’s next film, since he’s considering doing something in the year before he starts filming. “There’s discussion of potentially doing a remake of the Preminger film Bunny Lake is Missing,”“Why that interests me is because it’s completely the Ang Lee choice. What I love about Ang Lee is that Sense and Sensibility is nothing like The Ice Storm is nothing like The Hulk is nothing like Crouching Tiger is nothing like Brokeback. It’s amazing. Soderbergh’s the same way.” he told me.

I’m sure plenty more information will start hitting about Carnhan’s take on White Jazz in the months ahead. We’ll probably hear some casting news soon enough; he told me that he has someone on board – someone he thinks will blow us away - but he can’t name names yet.

In the meantime Smokin’ Aces opens in March of 2007. Look out for my complete Joe Carnahan interview in the next couple of days[/FONT]

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Sounds good

 

[ShaneHelms]

Agreed.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Anyone familiar with the story? I'm not. But it sounds good anyway.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Anyone familiar with the story? I'm not. But it sounds good anyway.

Synopsis

Los Angeles, 1958: a city on the make. A boom town at the edge of a new era ripe for plunder. Lieutenant Dave Klein: in turn a lawyer, bagman, slum landlord, mob killer. Klein stands at the centre of a complex web of plots, where violence and death will intersect.



Publisher and industry reviews

US Kirkus review

L.A., 1958. Corrupt Lt. Dave Klein, rapidly into a morass of bribes, fixes, and murder, hunts a thief whose crime-family victims don't want him caught and agrees to dig dirt on a Howard Hughes starlet - all while struggling to duck the fallout from his latest killing. As controversy over the proposed stadium for the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine brings city politics to a boil, Dave gets the word from mobster Mickey Cohen to help Sanderline Johnson, a half-wit croupier picked up in a raid, out his ninth-floor window before he can testify. The official verdict is flipped-out suicide, but the murder squeezes Dave between his department patron, detective chief Ed Exley; his would-be patron, Capt. Dudley Smith, deep in the Organization's pocket; double-dealing D.A. Bob Gallaudet; and Welles Noonan, a politically-minded US attorney with blood in his eye. Meanwhile, Exley puts Dave in charge of a break-in to the home of mobster J. C. Kafesjian, who wants him off the case; and Dave falls in love with Glenda Bledsoe, the starlet whose contract Hollywood mogul Hughes wants to break - and vows to protect her from the man whose money he's taking to break her. As if all this weren't trouble enough, somebody (Exley? Gallaudet? Dud Smith?) frames Dave for a murder that's been captured on film. Finally, the mayhem is garnished with Ellroy's patented Extra Chunky prose, familiar to veterans of LA. Confidential, etc. (sample action scene: "Linoleum floor - maroon dots - dried blood. Chick on the bed, zipping his fly. Knucks/gun butt - quick - I bashed his face, hacked his nuts, cracked his arms. Bone jar up my arms - Chick balled himself tight." Dave thinks like this too). Ellroy's been cooking up these overseasoned ragouts too long to change his recipe now; if you don't already know him, a page or two will convince you whether he's genius or a poseur, or both. (Kirkus Reviews)

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/771/771299p1.html

No Exley in White Jazz
Straight from Joe Carnahan.
by Stax

US, March 8, 2007 - Director Joe Carnahan is retooling his planned big-screen adaptation of James Ellroy's noir novel White Jazz in light of the sequel to L.A. Confidential that is in the works. One major change will be that the character of Ed Exley -- the ambitious LAPD detective played by Guy Pearce in Confidential and who is a character in Ellroy's novel White Jazz -- will have to be renamed for Carnahan's film.

"I had heard about (the L.A. Confidential sequel) a few months back as we had just closed our deal for White Jazz," Carnahan explained in a recent posting at his blog. "Ellroy and I actually spoke about it because they had asked him back into the loop to work on that script. As far as I know, they are pushing ahead and have asked us to change the Exley character's name in White Jazz as New Regency apparently has the right." Thus, no Guy Pearce for White Jazz.

Carnahan continued, "Those familiar with the book also know that 'The Dud' Dudley Smith is also featured prominently in it. We took the original L.A. Confidential into account when writing White Jazz so we opted to remove him from the story. Now that Exley looks like he's out, it will really eliminate any incidental characters from White Jazz and allow it to be a stand alone and not dependant on the prior characters."

That would suggest that D.A. Ellis Loew will also have to be altered.

After adding that he wishes "everyone well on L.A. Confidential 2," Carnahan points out what will differentiate that project from his adaptation of White Jazz. "Stylistically, they will be WILDLY divergent, that I can promise. [George] Clooney as Dave Klein is going to rock a 1958 LA that you have never and will never, see again."

White Jazz is aiming for an early 2008 start.

 

[DACrowe]

Meh.

The book like all Ellroy books are great premises that are poorly written. The movie LA Confidential is a cclassic because CCurtis Hanson came in and looked at the book and said "good idea" and completely retooled it to be a great movie.

BTW I don't know how this can be based on the book and be a direct sequel to the movie LA Confidential when the end of LA was so different (Dudley Smtih did not die and is in fact one of the main villains in White Jazz) and now with no Ed Exley....is it even the same story?

Not that I'm complaining, you want to see a "faithful" adaptation of an Ellroy book look at the piece of trash called The Black Dahlia. Rumor has it Hanson is writing his own sequel to LA Confidential though. While I'm not sure I want one, Hanson's involvement makes it at least very interesting.

 

[Hunter Rider]

White Jazz Next For Carnahan
Director confirms Bunny Lake is missing.
by Stax

US, March 14, 2007 - It was recently reported that Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon had abruptly and mysteriously quit director Joe Carnahan's remake of Bunny Lake is Missing. Trade reports claimed the departure had caused Carnahan to dump his manager, who also handles Witherspoon, although that has been disputed.

Now Carnahan has weighed in on the Missing star. "How about a situation where the press tries to stir it up. These things happen. Movies go away every day," Carnahan said in a posting at his blog.

He continued, "Reese is dealing with a lot of stuff in her life. So am I. We were running up against it as far as time for prep and shooting and scripting, etc. I had already committed to White Jazz and the longer we stretched Bunny the more in jeopardy the WJ schedule became. And there was just no way I could let that happen. I need a nice extended prep period for that flick. And now I've got it. That's it guys. I wish there were some truly tasty bits of gossip but there just aren't."

White Jazz, scripted by Carnahan's brother Matthew from the novel by James Ellroy, will star George Clooney. Production will reportedly commence in early 2008.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/822/822691p1.html

Carnahan Pulling Double Duty
Updates on White Jazz and Killing Pablo.
by Stax

US, September 25, 2007 - Filmmaker Joe Carnahan has given fans an update on two of his forthcoming projects -- White Jazz and Killing Pablo -- via his official blog.

"White Jazz looks ready to officially begin shooting January 14th. Can't tell you how prepared I'm going to be for that date," Carnahan posted. "Also, it looks like Killing Pablo is going to happen. There are pay-or-play offers going out to three specific actors as of next week. One of them I'm sure you can guess, the others may or may not be surprises. We'll shoot that right after White Jazz, so I'm in a position to do my two favorite books, back to back."

Killing Pablo is based on Mark Bowden's book at the mission to bring down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, while White Jazz is an adaptation of James Ellroy's Noir novel. George Clooney will star in White Jazz as a crooked L.A.P.D. detective.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Hopefully both films will be WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than the disgustingly bad Smokin Aces.

 

[Motown Marvel]

damn.....i so read the film's title wrong

 

[L0ngsh0t]

I'm pumped for this

Smokin Aces was sweet, could have been a whole lot sweet, but Carnahan has mad potential to be a awesome director

 

[Dark Donnie]

http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/822/822691p1.html

Carnahan Pulling Double Duty
Updates on White Jazz and Killing Pablo.
by Stax

US, September 25, 2007 - Filmmaker Joe Carnahan has given fans an update on two of his forthcoming projects -- White Jazz and Killing Pablo -- via his official blog.

"White Jazz looks ready to officially begin shooting January 14th. Can't tell you how prepared I'm going to be for that date," Carnahan posted. "Also, it looks like Killing Pablo is going to happen. There are pay-or-play offers going out to three specific actors as of next week. One of them I'm sure you can guess, the others may or may not be surprises. We'll shoot that right after White Jazz, so I'm in a position to do my two favorite books, back to back."

Killing Pablo is based on Mark Bowden's book at the mission to bring down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, while White Jazz is an adaptation of James Ellroy's Noir novel. George Clooney will star in White Jazz as a crooked L.A.P.D. detective.

oooh thanks for the Killing Pablo update....Bardem better sign on....I guess i'll make a thread.

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/startreknews.php?id=38241

Pine Up for Star Trek & White Jazz
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
October 9, 2007

The Hollywood Reporter says Chris Pine is in discussions to star as Captain Kirk in Paramount's Star Trek and in negotiations to star opposite George Clooney in Joe Carnahan's adaptation of the James Ellroy crime novel White Jazz.

Pine's biggest gig to date has been the male lead in the 2006 Lindsay Lohan movie Just My Luck. He played a neo-Nazi assassin in Smokin' Aces, also directed by Carnahan.

The biggest stumbling block to getting both roles at this point might be scheduling, adds the trade. J.J. Abrams' "Trek" will reportedly shoot from November through March, while "Jazz" has a mid-January start. Although both sides are trying to sort out the date puzzle, it is possible that Pine and his camp could be forced to choose which role to take.

Paramount is not sitting idle while negotiations are underway - the studio is looking for backup actors to have on deck.

For "Jazz," being produced by Cherry Road Films and Clooney's Smoke House, Pine would play Junior Stemmons, Clooney's partner in the film noir tale.

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[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=38541

Clooney Drops Out of White Jazz, Too
Source: Joe Carnahan
October 22, 2007


Just a few days after Chris Pine decided to star in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek over Joe Carnahan's White Jazz, George Clooney has left the film as well. But it's not all bad news, according to Carnahan:

Rough weekend. I had a bad feeling after they pushed 'Leatherheads' to April because of the extensive post on that film that something was going to have to give. Also, George is neck deep in the Coen bros. film at the moment and trying to do 'Michael Clayton' press which will likely carry over into Awards season...SO...they wanted to see about pushing White Jazz back, which I really don't want to do. I've been waiting awhile to make this one and I wasn't content to sit on my hands.

Right now, (actually it began on friday) we're in the process of trying to plug a guy into this movie that, if it works, would be pretty *****ing amazing. No, INCREDIBLY *****ing amazing, so we'll see what happens.

No tears kids. This is the business. It happens all the time and you've got to have the balls and the ability to push past in spite of these setbacks.

We march on.

White Jazz will be based on the James Ellroy crime novel. Clooney was set to play a dirty LAPD vice squad lieutenant whose mastery at skirting the rules gets tested when he's set up by his crooked bosses to be the fall guy for a murder.

 

[L0ngsh0t]

this is too bad, Clooney is sweet and has been attached to this forever

 

[Retroman]

I feel kind of bad for Carnahan. His movie got screwed because both his lead stars committed to other projects.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Fantastic novel. But I'm sure the movie adaptation will be very different, plot-wise. With eye on LA Confidential, it's just not possible.

The characters though, if they remain intact. Wooh daddy. Some juice roles up for grabs. Too bad Clooney can't be Klein.