It‘s official: Maggie Gyllenhaal takes Katie Holmes’ place in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. And, with Tobey Maguire appearing to beg off any future webslinger installments after Spidey 3, the door is now wide open for Maggie’s brother Jake…
Tag: DC
Split Decision.
“Batman is a complex character, and Two-Face comes a little bit from the same world. But [at the same time], he’s apart from it. I’m looking for the tension between the two, the similarities between the two. I want to find what’s similar to Batman, and then find what’s opposite to him.” The Dark Knight‘s Aaron Eckhart talks D.A. Harvey Dent, and suggests that he may well be popping up as Two-Face before the last reel of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins sequel. (Presumably, Heath Ledger’s Joker is somehow involved.)
Justice is Served?
Word leaks that Warner Brothers is moving forward on a Justice League film, having hired the writers of (ugh) Mr. and Mrs. Smith to pen a screenplay for the project. “How the story arcs unfold will also affect whether the studio will make offers to actors Christian Bale and Brandon Routh to play their respective roles in the project.”
Dented Eckhart | Ripley Returns.
As rumored a few weeks ago and in a bit of inspired casting, Aaron Eckhart looks set to join Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight as Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face. And, also in fanboy casting news, the cast of James Cameron’s Avatar fills out, with Wes Studi, Sigourney Weaver, and others joining Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana for the 3D-epic.
The Clock is Ticking.
“The truth is, ‘300’ to the studio is a graphic novel movie. It’s not a movie that they necessarily understand exactly when I pitch it on paper. They feel in some ways the same about “Watchmen.” They don’t understand why it’s not ‘Fantastic 4.’ I have to remind them that it’s much more ‘Strangelove’ than it is ‘Fantastic 4’ which they don’t like hearing, but they believe that I know, and in that way, it helps.” 300 helmer Zach Snyder checks in with the status of Watchmen.
Blame the Skekses | In the Company of Dent?
The Power of the Dark Crystal, the sequel to the 1982 muppet fantasy announced last year, has officially been put on hiatus. (Sorry, Gelflings.) And Latino Review, breakers of the Heath Ledger Joker casting, says Thank You for Smoking‘s Aaron Eckhart is now in line to play Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face) in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Great choice. (Also, apparently Katie Holmes has been kicked off the Batman Begins sequel — word is she’ll be replaced by Emily Blunt, Rachel McAdams, or Maggie Gyllenhaal.)
Son of a Preacher Man.
Word officially comes down that Garth Ennis’ Preacher is being developed for HBO by Mark Steven Johnston (Daredevil, Ghost Rider) and Howard Deutch (Grumpier Old Men.) Not the most exciting development team in the world, but it’s nice to see HBO get into the comic game. (And if Zack Snyder’s take on The Watchmen falls apart for some reason, as so many earlier attempts at it have, a 12-hour series on the Home Box Office would be a good place for Alan Moore’s magnum opus.)
Krypton, Kumar, Halo, & Che.
Quite a bit of movie news lately: Bryan Singer’s next Superman achieves liftoff, as does Harold & Kumar II. (I didn’t think much of Superman Returns, but am willing to give Singer another shot, particularly given how much better X2 was over X-Men. As for H & K…yeah, I’ll see it.) Meanwhile, the Peter Jackson-produced Halo is off for now…probably not a great loss, I suspect. And, finally, Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro’s Che is now two films: The Argentine and Guerrilla, to be shot back-to-back.
Time Check.
“1985’s a problem for people. The Cold War’s a problem for people. But these are things I’ve been trying to [tell people] would be cool. I like that Richard Nixon is the president in it. I think that’s important. Those kinds of things tell you exactly what kind of movie this is – it’s not Fantastic Four, you know.” 300 director Zack Snyder offers a brief update on the current state of CWatchmen.
No Joking Matter.
“It’s definitely going to stump people. I think it’ll be more along the lines of how the Joker was meant to be in the comics, darker and more sinister.” Brokeback Mountain‘s Heath Ledger says all the right things about his upcoming turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. “I wouldn’t have thought of me, either. But it’s obviously not going to be what Jack Nicholson did. It’s going to be more nuanced and dark and more along the lines of a Clockwork Orange kind of feel. Which is, I think, what the comic book was after: less about his laugh and more about his eyes.” And, in related news, Bob Hoskins hasn’t heard he might be playing the Penguin, so scratch that one off the rumor list for now.