I am a big fan of August: Osage County, Tracy Letts’ brilliant play of modern southern (Southern Oklahoma, in this case) family strife and scab-shredding healing.
It is hard to imagine the money role of the mother getting past Jane Fonda. I’ll take Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maris Tomei, and Gwyneth Paltrow to block. If he
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
DP wrote: But what intrigued me was the press release/news in Variety that fails to point to the detail in The Weinstein Co producing the movie that was 100% clear to me the first time (of 3) that I saw the show. The Weinstein Co is one of the producers of the stage show. >>>
FWIW, not sure if Variety updated the original story since your post (and they might have, since it’s two hours hence), but the link provided leads to a story containing the following passages:
* Weinstein is an investor in the stage play,
* “I’ve loved the writing since I was given a 240-page script for a three-hour play that starred nobody, that had no workshop,” Weinstein said.
* Doumanian said that since Weinstein became one of the early investors in the play, she hoped he would participate in the film.
My work as an editor is never done…
Pretty amazing.
Looking forward to this. Saw it on Broadway this summer and absolutely loved it. Hard to imagine them cutting too much of the more than 3 hour play down though. And Todd Field would be perfect to direct. Can’t see Paltorw in this though, especially as the eldest daughter (a little young?).
When was the last time you just picked up the Laslo Benedek “Death of a Salesman?” Last time I checked (thirty seconds ago), it’s not even on DVD.
I adore “August: Osage County” and think it’s really one for the ages. That said, I think half the discomfort comes from being a few feet away as the family is melting down.
It may be a solid or even great movie, but if I was a betting man, I’d say it’ll be a few more versions before we get the Lee J. Cobb or Dustin Hoffman edition on film.
In my take above, Gwynnie would be the youngest sister… I thnk Maggie G would have to be the eldest
Maggie G. would be perfect as the eldest daughter – in about 15 years. She’s supposed to be in her mid-40s and have a 14 year old daughter. Too bad Amy Morton isn’t a star, caused she was amazing in that role. And for the mother, I always thought this would be another one that Streep picked up when the movie version came out (like Doubt).
My choices would be Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Amy Adams, with Shirley Maclaine as the mother.
I could see Laura Linney as Barbara.
You just know that Meryl Streep wants that role and more likely will get it. She’s the biggest star among the older actresses now.
Saw Boeing, Boeing over the summer. Does not need to be remade. It was too long as a play as it was. It’s almost like the B-storyline to ever episode of Ugly Betty ever made. That said, I would sit down to watch the Tony Curtis flick if I could ever be motivated to go find it.
I’d go Full-Euro on the thing. Co-prod w/Pathe or Canal +, put Franka Potente, Rose Bryne and Juliette Binoche in the thing. Have Dame Dench as the made and throw Rupert Everet in the mix. Then I’d totally F-things up by adding a dead body/whodunit kind of thing to make it more of a dark comedy instead of a over blown farce that went out w/Three’s Company.
Doesn’t scream money maker but I’d imagine it’d be a helluva lot more entertaining than subjecting audiences to Divas who aren’t quite funny.
I don’t think Meryl would do it. Does she want to piss off more theatre people? Besides, she’s had two Broadway movies this year so maybe she’d like a break. I like the idea of Jane Fonda though. I loves me some Jane Fonda. Throw in Bridget as one of the daughters.
Triple Option, if you get Turner Classic Movies keep an eye on the listings. They’ve shown Boeing, Boeing at least twice this year (it’s sitting in my TiVo now).
SJR: DEATH OF A SALESMAN sits in legal limbo, Columbia having lost the rights due to the TV remake with Dustin Hoffman.