After a couple of very quiet weeks we've been inundated with news (albeit mainly casting decisions this week) some of which have really made me shift my opinions about some upcoming films. There's even some children's franchises that I'm vaguely interested in following this week. I think the heat must be getting to me.
Banking on Mr. Toad
The Wind in the Willows was my favourite book growing up, I think I must have read it about a hundred times during my Primary school years. There have been a number of adaptations of the novel, but this weeks sees the news of a biopic about the author Kenneth Grahame going into production. Ioan Grufford will play the writer, with Samantha Morton rumoured to be in talks for his supportive wife. The film will focus in part on the writing but also the relationship between Grahame and his autistic son in an age where autism wasn't understood.
It's going to be filmed with a mixture of live action and animation, like Miss Potter. Yes, there are alarm bells going off for me too, fingers crossed that they don't mess this up.
Happy Feet 2
This comes as a surprise to exactly no-one but Warner Bros. are currently preparing a sequel to the 2006 smash-hit animation Happy Feet. The original, which started as a cute story about a penguin learning to dance, was in reality a deeply scary film with warnings about the cruelty of humans and the effects of pollution. Can't wait to see what the follow-up has to offer.
Indian Summer
Back in April Joe Wright announced his next project would be Indian Summer, about the love affair between Lady Mountbatten and Nehru. At the time there were whispered rumours he was courting Cate Blanchett, and this week she finally signed the contract. It's the sort of brittle aristo she can do in her sleep. The other two sides of the triangle are yet to be cast - I'll keep you updated.
Septimus Heap: Magyk
Bad news for Harry Potter fans, firstly there are now only 2 films (from one book) remaining and secondly, and perhaps more shocking, a new boy wizard is priming to take your place. Septimus Heap: Magyk (based on the first novel by Angie Sage, from a series of five so far) is the seventh son of a seventh son, sadly mixed up with a girl at birth. Not sure how that happens. The books have sold in their millions so this could be a major franchise in the making.
Thor
So far Kenneth Branagh has astounded us all by casting virtual unknowns (Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston) and his best mates (Brian Blessed) in his first stab at a comic book adaptation. However this week Natalie Portman has been announced as the love interest. That's right, a real star, who has experience in big film releases. I'm still not to sure what to think about Thor, but I'm glad there's at least one star in it (apart from Brian "Gordon's alive" Blessed, of course).
World War Z
Matthew Michael Carnahan, hot from the State of Play screenplay, has been drafted in to polish up World War Z, based on the hilarious novel by Max Brooks. The book uses interviews with survivors and first hand testimony to relate the rise of the zombies and the international resistance to the threat. Apparently the first draft of the script largely dispensed with the style and just focused on the events. Hopefully Carnahan will redress that. I'm sure a documentary style movie about a Zombie apocalypse will be far more interesting and innovative.
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2 comments:
To this day Wind in the Willows is my favorite book.
Also, check out Harry and Pepper! I hope Pepper finds someone soon!
http://www.newsy.com/videos/when_harry_met_linda_a_look_at_animal_sexual_behavior
I'd be interested to look at the Harry/Pepper/Linda love triangle in relation to the demographics changes in the San Fransisco zoo over the last 6 years.
In studies on Human sexuality there are trends that indicate homosexuality is more prevalent in large families and in children brought up in larger conurbations. Whether that equates to a sociological reaction or chemicals in the womb is unknown but it's certainly indicates that larger populations lead to the species self-restricting itself from over population. (Of course as a gay man who's an only son from a small town I do buck the trend, but we'll ignore that for now).
Has the balance of male to female penguins (or at least the breeding penguins) shifted enough over the 6 years for Harry to find mating a more attractive proposition? Or maybe Linda's just a jealousy trap?
I do wish the best for Pepper though, he's an attractive guy, he'll find another Penguin, Harry wasn't good enough for him etc.
I just hope Pepper doesn't get bitter and ending up turning to drink and bitching to get over things.
I'm glad you like The Wind in the Willows. As a kid I was a huge fan of Badger, but as I grown up I've noticed how well rounded all the characters are. I can't wait until my neice is a couple of years older and I can start reading it to her (and she understands).
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