Wanted 2 = Dead

[Chewy]

Universal craved a sequel to Angelina Jolie’s assassination tango/loom tutorial Wanted. Unfortunately for the studio, Jolie is leaving them…wanting. We’ve just heard the actress has pulled out of the planned Timur Bekmambetov-directed sequel at Universal, and the studio has pulled the plug rather than recast the film. As for Jolie, we hear she is now intent on starring in Warner Bros.’ Gravity, a space thriller to be directed by Children of Men’s Alfonso Cuarón from a script he wrote with his 28-year-old son, Jonás.

Like Wanted 2, Gravity had previously been set up at Universal, with Jolie set to star. But a few weeks ago, the studio put Gravity into turnaround, possibly because it’s such an artistically challenging project: Jolie would be alone on-screen for much of the movie, playing the sole surviving human member of a space mission, desperately trying to return home to Earth and her daughter. (In that way it’s reminiscent of the brilliant, little-seen Moon with Sam Rockwell. Seriously, why won't you see it?) Now Warners has snapped it up, and it will be produced by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows producer David Heyman and Legendary Pictures.

SOURCE

 

[Mister J]

I didn't much care for the first film, so no big.
-------------------------

In this case, it seems the title...



is a bit ironic.

 

[BETArayBill]

Somewhere Mark Millar is crying in a corner.

 

[redhawk23]

wait 5 years and actually adapt the comic

 

[Ipodman]

Didnt like the first movie...

 

[Anti-Moderator]

Really shows how much faith they had in this project....Jolie is out so the whole film is dead. Bringing her character back after taking a bullet in the dome would have been lame anyways. How about a "reboot" that is based on the concept of the original source material?

 

[FaT_tONle]

Good... now close these forums.

 

[Chewy]

lol @ Mark Millar acting like this will still move forward

 

[Gabe99]

From STV:
Mark Millar: Wanted 2 will go ahead without Angelina Jolie

Video exclusive: Wanted creator Mark Millar has told STV that a sequel to the blockbuster movie WILL go ahead this year despite lead actress Angelina Jolie pulling out of her role.

 

[B]

I can't even pretend to care..

 

[Arach Knight]

Well...

1) A sequel to the film would be nothing short of forced. Angelina Jolie was not the star of the film and there is no need to attach a star to a film in order for it to be a successful project (at least if we are using revenue as a measure for success). Retcons are bad enough in comic books. I am tired of other mediums adopting this mindset. Besides, the major themes and plot devices were all settled at the end of the first film. Making a second film would undermine the integrity of the original themes.

2) Honestly, I would rather not see a reboot that is more reverent to the source material. Wanted was an absolutely horrible comic book. At least in terms of story. There were some really brilliant social critiques, hidden beneath satire. Unfortunately, any hope of those critiques shining is absolutely dulled by a story that amounts to nothing more than a male power fantasy gone wrong.

Much of the violence is pointless. There are a lot of minor things that just ruin the story. For instance ********SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS********



Is it really necessary to frequently mention Wesley's BLACK FEMALE boss? I could understand if Millar was going to attempt to make some brilliant observation about Black people or women, but he does neither and winds up looking like a covert racist rather than edgy. In fact, the scenes where Wesley encounters the largely Latino crowd of "thugs" that harass him, almost come off as Millar crying out about some bad childhood experience that has permanently tainted his view of minorities. I can think of no other reason why Wesley's boss had to described as BLACK.

On that note, plot wise, his story accomplishes nothing that hadn't already been done decades earlier. I know that nothing is new under the sun, but the comic was essentially a retelling of the old JLA story from 1964 about the Crime Syndicate. You have a world where a powerful cartel of super villains rules the planet with little to no opposition.

While Wanted almost seems like it would explore that premise in regards to the social ramifications, it utterly fails to do so. In fact, using Wesley as a focalizer proved pointless. He rapidly settles into the life of being a criminal with no regrets. He dives head first into the villainy and by the end of the story, he has no epiphany what so ever. He had a **** life, becomes evil, and does nothing with it.

One of the most impressive things about the film is that Wesley considers his powers and decides to alter his life direction so that he can take control over a life that he had no control over. That theme is barely recognizable in the book, where Wesley trades having no control because others control him, to having no control of his life because he himself is out of control. To that end, Wesley was useless, as the main plot could have been told with or without his presence.

There is a reason why the Wanted film only lifted elements of Millar's story. They took what was useful or interesting about his comic, and put it into a story that actually did something other than have people murdered by **** monsters and other under developed characters.

 

[Gabe99]

That's a good review Arach Knight.

 

[Gabe99]

From MTV:
'Wanted 2' Targets Original Writers, Plot Details Emerge

Just as we were starting to move on, all of the sudden we're "Wanted" again.

A sequel to the 2008 action thriller from director Timur Bekmambetov is once again gearing up after several years of fits and starts. According to The Hollywood Reporter, original "Wanted" writers Derek Haas and Michael Brandt have been targeted to bring a sequel to life at Universal.

Haas and Brandt, who shared screenwriting credits with Chris Morgan on "Wanted," will reportedly shape the sequel based on work already accomplished by screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos, who was hired for "Wanted 2" in 2009.

Some very early plot details about "Wanted 2" have been released as well. The Wrap reached out to Haas and learned that the sequel would "take off after the events of what just happened … pick up Wesley a few years later and go back in for another round."

With Wesley still in the crosshairs, that means the "Wanted" gang will need to get James McAvoy back on board — or, in a considerably less ideal situation, recast the part. For his own part, McAvoy has said that he isn't even sure "Wanted 2" will ever happen, though this latest news certainly suggests that it will.

McAvoy or no McAvoy, one imagines that Wesley is just about the only returning player for "Wanted 2," as (spoiler alert?) nearly every single character met the business end of a bullet by the first film's conclusion. There were some previous rumblings about Angelina Jolie's character being resurrected for the sequel, but she shot those rumors down when speaking with us in 2009.

 

[Gabe99]

From Screen Rant:
Screenwriter Derek Haas Talks ‘Wanted 2′ Script

Screen Rant: Wanted 2 has been in some form of development now since 2008, going through several writer and cast changes. How did you and your writing partner Michael Brandt get involved in the franchise again?

DH: We really wanted to work on it following the first film but didn’t get the chance to, for various reasons. We got a call from Universal a month or so ago asking if we had interest in returning to the WANTED world and we leapt at the chance.

You told The Wrap that the sequel would pick up with the Wesley character several years after the events of the first film. What has Wesley been doing for the last few years? Also, because the first film’s narrative was driven by Wesley’s character arc from loser to bad ass assassin, how will the sequel be different now that he understands his abilities?

Good questions. We’d tell you, but then we’d have to curve a bullet through your head from two miles away.

On Twitter, you said that your draft of Wanted 2 wouldn’t feature the Fox character or the “Loom of Fate.” What elements of The Fraternity will return for the second film? Will the four other chapters of The Fraternity from Mark Millar’s original graphic novel play a role in the new movie? Also, given that the organization is supposed to be 1,000 years old, will you draw on the history of The Fraternity for the screenplay?

I think I’ve said too much already. I’m one of those guys who doesn’t even like to watch trailers because I’d rather the whole film be a surprise when I walk into the theater. This movie is going to introduce some new characters to the WANTED world while staying grounded. We tried to do that in the first one, and we’ll try to do it here. In the first movie, the mantra was “kill one, save a thousand.” We’re going to turn that on its head.

Timur Bekmambetov’s over-the-top action sequences were one of the main reasons that Wanted was a huge hit at the box office. Not knowing whether Bekmambetov will return for the sequel, will you be writing action sequences differently to match the director’s unique visual style?

I am going to wrestle that Russian maniac into Universal and make him direct this one again.

Obviously, your job is to turn in the best draft of the screenplay you can write, but what else do you know about the film’s development schedule? If Universal loves your screenplay, what else needs to fall into place to get Wanted 2 on the big screen?

If you tried to game out all of the “what ifs” on how a movie gets to screen, you’d drive yourself insane. All you can do is write the screenplay you’d want to see on the screen, and hope that everyone else shares that vision.

 

[Ultra Lantern]

I plan to see this movie when it comes out.

 

[Teelie]

Just a throwback to the original article, I did see Moon and thought of that when I first heard of Gravity. It was a good movie albeit with the obvious plot twist but it still managed to make itself worthwhile.

Wanted was a fine movie though I never read the comic and it was just another action flick to me. Nothing special. If they do a sequel it might be worth seeing or not depending on what it turns into.

 

[killjoy]

Well...

1) A sequel to the film would be nothing short of forced. Angelina Jolie was not the star of the film and there is no need to attach a star to a film in order for it to be a successful project (at least if we are using revenue as a measure for success). Retcons are bad enough in comic books. I am tired of other mediums adopting this mindset. Besides, the major themes and plot devices were all settled at the end of the first film. Making a second film would undermine the integrity of the original themes.

2) Honestly, I would rather not see a reboot that is more reverent to the source material. Wanted was an absolutely horrible comic book. At least in terms of story. There were some really brilliant social critiques, hidden beneath satire. Unfortunately, any hope of those critiques shining is absolutely dulled by a story that amounts to nothing more than a male power fantasy gone wrong.

Much of the violence is pointless. There are a lot of minor things that just ruin the story. For instance ********SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS********



Is it really necessary to frequently mention Wesley's BLACK FEMALE boss? I could understand if Millar was going to attempt to make some brilliant observation about Black people or women, but he does neither and winds up looking like a covert racist rather than edgy. In fact, the scenes where Wesley encounters the largely Latino crowd of "thugs" that harass him, almost come off as Millar crying out about some bad childhood experience that has permanently tainted his view of minorities. I can think of no other reason why Wesley's boss had to described as BLACK.

On that note, plot wise, his story accomplishes nothing that hadn't already been done decades earlier. I know that nothing is new under the sun, but the comic was essentially a retelling of the old JLA story from 1964 about the Crime Syndicate. You have a world where a powerful cartel of super villains rules the planet with little to no opposition.

While Wanted almost seems like it would explore that premise in regards to the social ramifications, it utterly fails to do so. In fact, using Wesley as a focalizer proved pointless. He rapidly settles into the life of being a criminal with no regrets. He dives head first into the villainy and by the end of the story, he has no epiphany what so ever. He had a **** life, becomes evil, and does nothing with it.

One of the most impressive things about the film is that Wesley considers his powers and decides to alter his life direction so that he can take control over a life that he had no control over. That theme is barely recognizable in the book, where Wesley trades having no control because others control him, to having no control of his life because he himself is out of control. To that end, Wesley was useless, as the main plot could have been told with or without his presence.

There is a reason why the Wanted film only lifted elements of Millar's story. They took what was useful or interesting about his comic, and put it into a story that actually did something other than have people murdered by **** monsters and other under developed characters.

i am soo glad that i am not the only one that feels this way. millers writing does come off as racist, he does the same crap in the kick-ass comic when minorities are mentioned. wanted 2 can actualy be based of the wanted comic but all the stupid crap has to be filtered out of it, like the sh-t hitman,the nazi, the stupid illuminati reference and some other stuff i cant think of

it can easyly be done. i thought the first film was very unique but i hated that comic, i brought it and read it kuz i liked the movie