Screenwriter talks Blade Runner sequel

via glooce

 

When it was revealed that Ridley Scott had been working on a Blade Runner sequel for the last couple of years, there was understandably much excitement, with plenty of speculation as to when the film might see the light of day.

Among all the speculation was the suggestion that screenwriter Scott Z. Burns might be in the process of writing a script. That rumour was eventually shot down, but Burns himself has been talking about the project, and suggests that his involvement is still very much alive.

“I talked to Ridley about it at one point as a part of a larger conversation about us trying to find something to do together because I have such admiration for him,” explains Burns.

“I’m as huge a fan of that movie as anybody else who would be reading this or watching it, so what I said to him was, ‘Let’s not do that unless we have something amazing to do or to say,' because I don’t want to touch that idea unless I really feel like I have something amazing to contribute and right now I don’t know what that is.

“I think he and I will probably talk again about it,” continues Burns. “But again it’s less about that specifically and more about he and I wanting to make a science fiction movie together.

“So I hope that that happens, to me I’m not particularly attached to it being Blade Runner. I suspect by the time we would come up with something it would be its own thing and not attached to that franchise necessarily, because it is a franchise, it’s a great piece of work.”

Expect the rumours to run and run on this one…

Good. I don't want a lackluster and floppy sequel to taint the memory of a perfect movie. 

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What's blocking the "Dragon Tattoo" sequel?

via glooce

Soon after THR reported Jan. 22 that David Fincher is in early talks to direct Fox's adaptation of the psychological thriller novel Gone Girl, questions arose about the fate of another Girl: Sony's The Girl Who Played With Fire.

The studio insists it still plans to make the long-percolating follow-up to its Fincher-helmed The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo but declines further comment. Although 2011's Tattoo made $233 million worldwide -- not a bad haul for a hard-R movie that came on the heels of a wildly successful Swedish-language trilogy also based on the books by Stieg Larsson -- the $90 million-budgeted film was not perceived as a runaway hit, and the studio is said to be hellbent on reducing the cost of the next chapter.

Sources close to the project say the biggest holdup isn't Fincher's involvement but star Daniel Craig's. The studio has options on Craig for two sequels, but the actor is said to want a pay raise, not a cut, in the wake of Skyfall grossing $1 billion worldwide. If Sony can't bring Craig back to reprise his role as journalist Mikael Blomkvist, the sources say the studio could write the character out of the sequel. (A Craig source says negotiations have yet to commence but the actor wants to return to the role.)

A Craig write-around wouldn't be impossible given that the second book focuses more on Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). The actress is on board to reprise her role as the heroine with savantlike hacking skills.

Still, Sony would prefer not to be forced to commission a rewrite of Steven Zaillian's script, which is considered production-ready and cost the studio mid-seven figures, one of the most expensive adaptations to date. It is unclear whether Zaillian would be available for an overhaul given that he has turned his attention to the HBO series Criminal Justice, starring James Gandolfini.

As for Fincher, a project insider says don't count him out of the running for Played With Fire. The script for Gone Girl -- being adapted by the book's author, Gillian Flynn -- is far from where it needs to be. In fact, the only film seriously vying for Fincher's immediate attention is Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but the helmer and studio can't seem to find common ground on the budget. For its part, Sony has good reason to bring back Fincher and the final two chapters in the trilogy. Tattoo was a critical hit, nabbing five Oscar nominations including a best actress mention for Mara. And the Larsson books continue to sell worldwide. "Everyone wants to make the next movies happen," says an insider. "There's a great story to tell."


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