Robert Downey Jr. has dropped out of Cowboys & Aliens, the Dreamworks/Universal sci-fi project that would have reunited the actor with his Iron Man director Jon Favreau. The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times but only speculated on why Downey had left the project, which pits Old West cowboys and indians against a group of aliens with superior technology. Now, a source inside the production tells EW.com that the star has a scheduling conflict with a Sherlock Holmes sequel. That film has not yet been greenlit by Warner Bros., but it is being fast-tracked based on the success of the first film. (Sherlock’s worldwide gross is fast approaching $300 million.) Warner Bros. commissioned a script by Kieran and Michele Mulroney back in September and is now locking down the cast for a June start date, exactly the time when Cowboys & Aliens is set to begin principal photography. Producers behind Cowboys & Aliens are sticking with original plans and are now looking for a new lead to play cowboy Zeke Jackson, the hero of the 2006 graphic novel from Platinum Studios.
Warners working on sequel; Brad Pitt in talks for Moriarty
Steven Zeitchik and Jay A. Fernandez said:
A "Sherlock Holmes" sequel is afoot.
Three months ahead of the release of its Robert Downey Jr. action pic, Warners is developing a new installment.
The studio is poised to bring on Kieran and Michele Mulroney, the scribes who are penning its "Justice League: Mortal" tentpole, to pen a draft of the new tale.
Brad Pitt has had discussions with producers to star as Holmes' nemesis Moriarty in the new pic, say people familiar with the project, though there is no deal in place for him to take the part.
Susan Downey, Dan Lin and Joel Silver produced "Holmes," a holiday release that, from well-received footage at Comic-Con, appeared to be an action-heavy rendition of the world Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created.
Guy Ritchie helms the pic, and Downey stars as the title character; Jude Law plays protege Watson, and Rachel McAdams stars as love interest Irene Adler. Much of the talent is expected to return in the new pic, as could Ritchie as director.
Risky Business Blog:
Pitt has been the subject of a litany of blog rumors as appearing in several shots of "Holmes" as Moriarty, but those familiar with the script say the character is in shadow and cannot be recognized.
Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Lionel Wigram and Simon Kinberg all worked on the screenplay for the first pic, which is set in the world of Holmes but creates a new story and challenges for the iconic characters. It's unclear whether the new pic would also invent a new story or draw more from previous Conan Doyle material.
It's increasingly common for a studio to begin developing sequels ahead of a movie's release, enabling a second pic to get into production faster than it normally would, and at a comparatively low cost. Warners began pushing "The Hangover," as the movie's prerelease buzz began to grow, though did not close deals until after the movie had begun raking in boxoffice dollars.
Warners is keen on developing new franchises, with Holmes -- with its broad fan base and rich source material -- considered a very appealing candidate. The project would also mean Downey would star in a second franchise, after "Iron Man," while DreamWorks could build yet another franchise around him with "Cowboys & Aliens."
Steven Zeitchik reported from New York; Jay A. Fernandez reported from Los Angeles.[/spoiler]
I enjoyed the first film, but there are definitely areas to improve upon. My advice:
-Drop Simon Kinberg. I suspect all weaknesses in the first film (in terms of dialogue and story-telling) can be attributed to him.
-Cast Christoph Waltz as Moriarty, because I am on a severe Waltz kick at the moment.
Can't wait for it. I personally felt nothing was wrong with the dialogue. Just kind of a cheap gimmicky action scene annoyed me, but didn't take me out of the movie for long.
I said only one scene was gimmicky, the explosion scene. What happened in the chain of reactions literally added nothing to the movie and they didn't even try building off [blackout]Watson's being in the blast full force[/blackout]. It was just kinda brushed off story-wise within the next 5 minutes. But again, it was my only annoyance with the film.
I said only one scene was gimmicky, the explosion scene. What happened in the chain of reactions literally added nothing to the movie and they didn't even try building off [blackout]Watson's being in the blast full force[/blackout]. It was just kinda brushed off story-wise within the next 5 minutes. But again, it was my only annoyance with the film.
I hope Moriarty is better than The Joker. I hope he's just as dangerous and just as smart as the Joker, but he's not just another "he kills and causes chaos because he's a crazy psycho nutball who gets a kick out that sort of thing" villain like the Joker.
I don't want Moriarty to be the Joker, I want him to be the guy behind the Joker capitalizing on all the chaos the Joker is causing. I want him to be the one pulling the strings of the guy who thinks he's pulling the strings. I want him to be the most deadly man on the block, but also the most innocent one because he's never done any of his own dirty work.
I hope Moriarty is better than The Joker. I hope he's just as dangerous and just as smart as the Joker, but he's not just another "he kills and causes chaos because he's a crazy psycho nutball who gets a kick out that sort of thing" villain like the Joker.
I don't want Moriarty to be the Joker, I want him to be the guy behind the Joker capitalizing on all the chaos the Joker is causing. I want him to be the one pulling the strings of the guy who thinks he's pulling the strings. I want him to be the most deadly man on the block, but also the most innocent one because he's never done any of his own dirty work.
Agreed. On a side note, I'd love to see someone make a movie about Adam Worth, the real-life super-criminal that Moriarty was based on. That guy was a genius... he was almost always able to evade capture because they had such a hard time pinning things on him.
Hey, how about Paul Bettany as Moriarty? He's a hell of a great actor and after watching that trailer for "Creation" where he plays Charles Darwin, I think he could really pull off the look of the character.
Hey, how about Paul Bettany as Moriarty? He's a hell of a great actor and after watching that trailer for "Creation" where he plays Charles Darwin, I think he could really pull off the look of the character.
Tony AND Jarvis? Get me some Jeff Bridges in there, too, and I tell ya...
I'll be serious now.
Paul Bettany? Interesting choice. I watched the trailer for Creation that you mentioned, and he definitely pulled off the right look there, and he seems to be a good actor from what I can tell (I've only seen him in two or three movies that I can think of right now but I liked him in all of them). He's English too, right?
The problem was the story. It just lacked a lot. They had a great cast, amazing sets, costumes, cinematography, editing, etc. But the story was just a vehicle for Downey and Law to play wonderfully off each other. The premise in introduction during the first act is enticing. But it falls away as irrelevant and boring.
Make the screenplay and story stronger for the sequel to make a better movie.
Hey, how about Paul Bettany as Moriarty? He's a hell of a great actor and after watching that trailer for "Creation" where he plays Charles Darwin, I think he could really pull off the look of the character.
Why not? Casting is part of the movie, and I don't see a separate casting thread around here, do you? If you want to talk about something else, then by all means bring up something else to talk about.
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Get me some Jeff Bridges in there, too, and I tell ya...
