Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Tackling the Magic Kingdom

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JA from MNPP here. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times yesterday Jon Favreau opened up about why he's not doing the third Iron Man film (Nat mentioned it yesterday), and in so doing this tid-bit presented itself:

"Favreau is set to direct “Magic Kingdom,” which the 44-year-old filmmaker described as a family fantasy adventure that will tap into the vintage Disney creations that “loomed so large in the imagination” of his generation. Favreau said that [David] Fincher ... will direct the studio’s ”20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” a Jules Verne bookshelf classic that is closely associated with Disney after the landmark 1954 film and the submarine theme-park ride, and Disney confirmed that to be the case. [Guillermo] Del Toro had already been announced as director of a new “Haunted Mansion” film."

That's right - David Fincher, currently swallowing whole every critic's prize in sight for his little Facebook movie, might be making a movie about a giant squid squatting on a submarine next.

Well after his adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo that is, which he's currently in the middle of filming. What does this mean for his adaptation of the French graphic novel The Killer that he's been attached to? Or his forever-gestating Rendezvous With Rama?

And what does this mean about the Disney live-action film in general? They seem to be putting at least some of that Pirates of the Caribbean and Pixar money to good use, hiring smart people and throwing them into curious projects. (Unless it's the fourth Pirates movie we're talking about; that's just desperate.) I'm dying to know what a David Fincher 20,000 Leagues would look and feel like. Or Del Toro's take on The Haunted Mansion, sure to be bursting at the seams with fantastic beasties.

But my real question now is how long until they hire David Lynch to make a Space Mountain movie? Because that's when shit gets real.

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9 comments:

Volvagia said...

At least they're not deigning to give that one to a burgeoning creative talent. (Rob Marshall is no one's idea of a hot director. Chicago was pure luck. And a Bob Fosse derivation.) And about Favreau's project: Why doesn't Disney want to do an adaptation of Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom? It's under a creative commons license. So long as you acknowledge the source material, you're good. The concept sounds interesting and it's a short novel. You know what? I should probably get on that one.

Jake D said...

4th Pirates: meh. Whatever.
5th and 6th Pirates: AHHHHHHHHH TOO MUCH.

Anonymous said...

Tarantino dissects the western on Big Thunder Mountain.

Kathryn Bigalow crafty a tense, gritty Jungle Cruise.

Scorsese on Tower of Terror (The Aviator meets Shutter Island.)

The possibilities are endless.

Walter L. Hollmann said...

Oh, Graham, there's no improving on the original Tower of Terror movie, starring Film Exp favorite Kirsten Dunst and the Greatest Actor of His Generation, Steve Guttenberg. :P

I'd love to see that Magic Kingdom movie. Truth, though, the Disney theme park movie I've always wanted to see is an adaptation of 80s Bond novel Never Send Flowers, where Bond does battle in, no joke, EuroDisney. That would be awesome on many different levels!

Robert said...

Favreau is an interesting choice. Elf is far from a great movie but one of its best traits was its ability to capture that old Rankin Bass Christmas special nostalgia and turn it into something fun.

Personally I'm glad he's out of Iron Man. This Marvel Comic movie business is circling the drain if you ask me.

OtherRobert said...

Does that mean they'll tear down the Meet and Greet Grotto to rebuild the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disney World?

Anonymous said...

Why does Hollywood have to remake every single foreign movie? I am from Sweden, while the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is far from a perfect movie, why would they want to make adapt the novel again so soon with English and American actors. And they didn't even bother to adapt a new location and shoot the film here in Sweden! So now we have these English actors playing the Swedish characters. Maybe it's just me but I do find this whole remake insulting.

Eric B said...

Is there any way that a Magic Kingdom movie will be anything but a 2 hour commercial for Disneyland?

Volvagia said...

If they decided to make it Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. Then I'd believe there's something there outside of a two hour ad for Disneyland.