The 300 and Ghost Rider press junkets last week delivered DAYS AND DAYS worth of gossip and speculation.
§ First up, is the news that RONIN is next on the list of Frank Miller movies to be made:
Another Frank Miller adaptation is in the works. Following on from the big screen outings of SIN CITY and 300, Miller’s RONIN could be the next movie to hit multiplexes. It seems that STOMP THE YARD helmer Sylvain White is to direct the film for Warner Brothers, who own the rights for the DC Comics title.
Honest, we could have told you that. It was a no brainer. Now, when are they going to try HARD-BOILED again?
§ We don’t know this FirstShowing.net site, and the reporting seems a little…breathless to us. So this is getting our special red text salt warning:
Although no direct questions on a sequel came about during press events for 300 yesterday, and especially given that Frank Miller was absent due to an injury, confirmation on a possible “sequel” to 300 was tough to get. However, producer Mark Canton did speak very briefly about the possibly. They are obviously currently waiting to see how successful 300 will be at the box office and then from there are planning where to go next.
However, Mark did say the following: “If it all works out I’m sure we’ll all be scrambling Zack [Snyder] and Frank Miller and everyone to figure out exactly ‘301′. Where there’s a will there’s a way, honestly. And the thing about Frank, you just don’t know – he has a lot of stories he may want to tell that may be associated or not, but we just want this one to satisfy first.”
§ OKAY and over at Ghost Rider, there is talk, as usual, of a sequel!
At a press-event for Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment’s Ghost Rider, producer Avi Arad announced that talks are now underway to develop a sequel to the action-packed superhero movie starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes.
Cage would once again portray stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze who has sold his soul to the devil. By day, Johnny is a die-hard stunt rider… but at night, in the presence of evil, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of rogue demons, forced to do the devil’s bidding.
Ghost Rider is one of Nicholas Cage’s favorite comics; he is very passionate about playing the character and would be eager to come back for future installments.
That piece also had some nice things to say about the film, contrary to previous reports that Sony was trying to critics screenings because it was so dire. In fact, Variety blogger Tom McLean has a complete run down on Ghost Rider’s screening situation, which is not as simple as the NY Post report –which has been corrected–made it seem. To start out with, Mark Steven Johnson had this to say on a message board:
“Hey guys. Wow, so much speculation! It always amazes me how good news (like yesterday’s review) just sits there while (incorrect) bad news spreads like wildfire! Here’s the truth: The movie is being screened for the press tomorrow on the 8th as we have our junket on Thursday and Friday of this week. Then the movie is being screened for the CRITICS next Thursday morning so that their reviews can come out the following day, on Friday the 16th. The only critics we’ve missed are the advanced press/weeklies So there will be reviews on opening day! Sony is contacting the Post for a correction. Sometimes you have critic screenings a week in advance but we weren’t ready for that (as I’ve said before, we took it down to the wire). Honestly, I don’t care. But for the record, the only press to see the movie so far has been this site. And you can imagine the deluge of calls and e-mails I received from other sites yesterday! They were pissed that SHH got a first look!
Much more in the link. The upshot is that although there will be screenings but they will be timed so that getting opening day reviews will be difficult.
I wonder why Warner Bros “owns the rights to the DC title”. Ronin is a creator owned work.
Ya know what’s sad? Ghost Rider sequels are being talked about, not because the movie is great (I’m pretty convinced at this point that it’ll be bad), but because the entire idea of making a Ghost Rider movie is to set up a franchise. Tail wagging the dog…
Yeah, those “thursday night premieres” and “friday courtesy” screenings don’t really count, not when every film–I repeat, EVERY film–that critics review is screened for them by the Tuesday before the Friday opening. If a studio is proud of a film, they’ll show it to critics weeks prior to opening. And Johnson’s claim that the film was being worked on down to the wire rings kinda false, given Arad’s statement (on Tom McLean’s blog) that they’ve screened the film extensively on their international press tour.
Talk of a Ghost Rider sequel is par for the course, but a 300 sequel? Does this mean they’ve gone for a ‘Hollywood Ending’?
“However, producer Mark Canton did speak very briefly about the possibly. They are obviously currently waiting to see how successful 300 will be at the box office and then from there are planning where to go next.
However, Mark did say the following: “If it all works out I’m sure we’ll all be scrambling Zack [Snyder] and Frank Miller and everyone to figure out exactly ‘301′. Where there’s a will there’s a way, honestly.”
These are the people who are allowed to make decisions about the films we see. No wonder there has been such an influx of writers into comics from film and television.
Frank Miller and Robert Kirkman bring you… “300 ZOMBIES”
I belive that Ghost Rider was a awsome film and they should make a sequel becouse it was a great story line and the ending calls for a sequel. Besides what gives any of you the right to say the movie sucks if you dont like it dont go see the sequel (if there is going to be one). I am a Carnie my family owns a carnival and this summer my uncel died and all my family said not to go and see the movie becouse it will remind me/us of him well it did becouse the bike that Mr. Cage road in the movie looks like my uncels well it does but i belive that it’ll be a good set to own when it comes out and if/when htey make a sequel. Ohter wise the movie was a very good movie.
PEACE OUT MY HOMIES
O AND COME TO YOUR LOCAL COUNTY FAIR IT MAY BE THE ONE I OWN AND WORK AT..
SINCERLY CaRnIe KiNg Jr.
well 300 was great, and ghost rider, but sincity fucking sucked!
well 300 was great, and ghost rider, but sincity fucking sucked!