Kevin's Watch

According to the latest news, our intrepid screenwriters are hunting for a director whose name they can attach to the Chrons project in the hopes of convincing a studio that it's going to be a fantastic film.

Who would you pick? There's the obvious choices, like Peter Jackson--who probably won't touch it, as he's an auteur who's already done his Epic Fantasy. Who else? Spielberg? Bruckheimer? Alfonso Cuáron, who did both Y Tu Mama Tambien AND HP3? Who's got the depth, the chops, the guts to do the Chrons they way they deserve?

Jonathan Frakes!

LOL, can we do fantasy director picks? Because I'd say Kurosawa.

No, seriously... I don't know. I doubt a big-name director will want to touch this unless they're already familiar with the books, but I suppose they need someone reputable, if not necessarily popular, for a studio to reconsider its stance on the idea.

Two words....Ridley Scott.

Cuaron most definitely has the guts, but he doesn't have the talent! Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) was an absolutely awesome movie but I was rather disappointed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), I would cry if The Chrons came out as bad as that movie...
I would suggest they get Cameron Crowe to direct the film, even though Jerry Maguire (1996) and Vanila Sky (2001) were just fairly good movies, he is the writer, producer, and director of one of my all time favorite movies, Almost Famous (2000) anyone who has seen that will know that Cameron Crowe is a man of extraordinary talent. He just completed Elizabethtown (2005), it looks awesome, in fact Kirsten Dunst dropped her lead role in M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (2004) to act in Elizabethtown.

Note: I added the dates cause I was bored and thought it was cool that I actually remember this stuff...

Cail wrote:Two words.... Ridley Scott.

There are rumors afloat that he will be doing the sixth Harry Potter film... But after all they are just rumors. Gladiator, Matchstickmen, and Hanibal were decent movies, but all had issues like the first too I totally predicted the endings for. I've heard that his new movie Kingdom of Heaven is supposed to be the best adventure film of the year though. Then again he has a load of crappy movies if you check in filmography.

Ooops, don't tell me I forgot about Alien! He did direct Alien right? I guess If I give this question some though Cameron Crowe might not be appropriate cause Vanilla Sky is the only really wacked out movie he has done.

Ariadoss wrote:Ooops, don't tell me I forgot about Alien! He did direct Alien right?

And also, don't forget Blade Runner - an awesome movie. I would gladly take Ridley Scott as director, definitely one of my favorite directors along with Tim Burton, Luc Besson, Milos Forman and Stanley Kubrick (we just need a caesure to go back in time to get him...).

Alynna Lis Eachann wrote: Jonathan Frakes! ...

For some odd reason, I don't think that he is really a bad choice!
I could imagine him directing...

Ariadoss: (1) Don't get me started on the disappointment that is the third HP movie. (2) I read a good article on the making of Kingdom of Heaven that said it played fast and loose with the historical and social facts of the time period it takes place in. Really put me off seeing it, Fluffy or no (and really, he's just not Fluffy without the elf ears, anyway). Kind of has me prejudiced against Ridley Scott at the moment, too. (3) Can you please just edit your initial post instead of double and triple posting? See Jay's post here for the reasons. Thanks!

cheval: I think Frakes could pull it off if he became intimately familiar with the series. In my opinion, that's what made his work with the Trek movies so good (I thought Insurrection was delivered effectively, even if the plot and some of the acting *cough*Marina Sirtis*cough*were weak).

The Star Trek franchise has produced a few good actor/directors. Frakes directed Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection, of course, along with some episodes of TNG, DS9 and several non-Trek shows and movies. LeVar Burton has directed numerous episodes of every Trek series except (obviously) TOS, as well as the tv series Soul Food. Leonard Nimoy did Star Trek IV, and some other stuff that turned out both well and not so well. William Shatner we just don't discuss...

Francis Ford Copolla!

Lord Foul's Bane would start with a wedding that lasts 45 minutes of film time during which we meet Thomas and his brother Fredo.... oh wait, that's another movie

Ok, ok, I got it. When TC finally finds Lord Foul in the end of TPTP, Foul is a large bald man who recites strange poetry... and TC uses a machete to kill him. No, that's not it either...

Ok, maybe Copolla isn't such a good choice

I don't think there's any comparison between the HP movies and TCoTC. That being said, even though Ridley Scott has directed a couple of clunkers (Matchstick Men, Hannibal, 1492), he's got an impressive visual style.

Sorry bout the tripple posting, I normally do edit my posts, but I thought the first two posts were appropriate cause I was expressing seperate ideas/replying to seperate comments, but I'll keep it to one post from now on.

So does anyone have an opinion of Cameron Crowe? You can't tell me that no one here has seen Almost Famous?!?

Ridley Scott likes the epic and does have a good visual style. I'd accept him but would prefer Michael Mann (even more of a visual flair than Scott). I think the Land requires a strong visual style thus my choices.

Although with that said I'd also like to see what Cameron or Speilberg could do. Like Mann, they typically don't produce garbage.

Yes, agreed. Michael Mann. The theme in Last of the Mohicans was handled well.

Mann would be a great choice too. I don't care for either Spielberg or Crowe, though I think Jaws is one of the best movies ever, and I enjoyed Vanilla Sky.

i would go for David Goyer. I think he did a great job with Blade and think he has the diversity for TC

Ridley Scott likes the epic and does have a good visual style. I'd accept him but would prefer Michael Mann (even more of a visual flair than Scott). I think the Land requires a strong visual style thus my choices.

Tom Cruise as Covenant, Tim Curry as Foul, Ferris Bueller's girlfriend as Linden...

Don't tell me I'm the only one here who remembers "Legend"!

Never happen, but I'm not sure Spielberg would be a bad choice. He's got arguably the best cinematographer in the biz Janusz Kaminsky (sp?) working for him right now, and he's shown in his recent sci-fi films that he can be "dark" (there's an interesting report from the WoTW set on Aint-It-Cool-News that makes it sound like he's really going for a "Private Ryan" feel with that movie). He's made films that have attempted to be masterworks of various genres, and ego alone might prompt him to out-Jackson Peter Jackson in the fantasy genre.

ETA: With the news of rejection by those studios, I'm pretty much convinced that in order for the films to be made, one of two things need to happen: a top-tier director, or an A-list star to play Covenant. I'll get crucified for this, but Russell Crowe showing interest in playing TC would get the movie made. Yeah, he's far from gaunt, but he can lose a few pounds.

I still say no to Spielberg. Jaws was his last great movie (don't say Indiana Jones, that was a collaboration, and although entertaining, it was fluff).

William Friedkin (To Live and Die in LA, Wages of Fear, The Exorcist) could certainly pull it off.

What if...George Lucas was in charge of the Chronicles? Let's see: he'd first make the "middle" trilogy of the saga (i.e. the 2nd Chrons). Then he would go back and do the first trilogy, but not before releasing Special Editions of the Second Chronicles, in which the Guardian kicks Brinn first. And he would refuse to do the Last Chronicles because of the negative response to his Jar-Jar Jehannum character.

Er, seriously: I also like the choice of Ridley Scott. James Cameron even more so. Studios might be afraid to bankroll Cameron, though, if he miraculously decided to tackle the Chronicles. It took two studios to finance the $200 million budget of Titanic; can you imagine how much money Cameron might demand in order to make something as ambitious as the Chronicles? But he'd probably get his way, heh.

Of course, it would be a wonderful thing if a relatively unknown director with a passion for Donaldson came along and made the Chronicles his/her own. Lightning already struck once with Peter Jackson and LOTR. Can that happen again anytime soon?

Matrixman wrote:And he would refuse to do the Last Chronicles because of the negative response to his Jar-Jar Jehannum character.

"Meesa goin' take ovah yo BRAINS!"