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
He deserves his own place at the table??? One of the top 10 directors of the last 10 years deserves a place at the table????? How kind DP!…especially considering he already HAD his place at the table years ago when “1906” was initially greenlit with a nine-figure budget.
But seriously…it’s a DISGRACE that funding for “1906” evaporated…and MI4 is happening instead. Does this make any sense??? Yes “1906” was a somewhat risky endeavor…it says a lot about Disney’s new management that they’ve basically grounded the project. Bird has always represented the best of the Mouse House, even if he was always with Pixar. The fact that Disney’s lineup is without a single risk-taking live action project since the regime change speaks volumes. They want to be the new Fox…shit movies, but boffo business.
NO IDEA who this dude is, some CARTOON DIRECTOR????
THAT’S NOT EVEN DIRECTING A MOVIE. GOOD GOD, HORRIBLE idea, HORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIBLE, anyone who directs animation is ALWAYS some meek DOUCHE never some AMPED UP MANIAC.
CHRIST. How could a GOD like CRUISE want to work with some NOBODY? Cruise always picks THE BEST DIRECTORS EVER… This is DISGRACEFUL; FUCK this guy, he can go circle jerk with that PIXAR douche that I don’t care about either (STAUNTON?)
CARTOONS AREN’T MOVIES. INCREDIBLES isn’t a fucking MOVIE, I’d never watch it in a ZILLION YEARS, FUCK THE INCREDIBLES.
How can a CARTOON DRAWER, a FUCKING TRACER, somehow qualify to DIRECT THE WORKS OF GODS?
TERRIBLE. NOT A DIRECTOR. WORST CHOICE EVER, and Cruise has NEVER worked with such a NOBODY.
Weren’t you retiring your “character,” jackoff?
Crusie must let the directors have some amount of control, because each IM movie looks totally different and has different themes from the others. I mean, Abrams basically refilmed the Alias pilot for his IM. Started at a cliffhanger, goes to normal stuff, action, back to cliffhanger, climax. And it looked like a tv show too, very generic.
Brad Bird would make a really nice IM. He might even do the best action scenes of the franchise, although I love how DePalma’s wasn’t really an action movie at all until the end with that amazing train scene. There’s a guy who made a CG sequence exciting for once.
Oh, and speaking about Disney…when have they EVER taken an interesting risk, except maybe buying Miramax. Most boring studio ever, which is fine when their movies are good.
Brad Bird = Superman reboot.
Somebody make it happen.
Speaking of douchebag nobodies; hi Lex. Oh, by the way, go fuck yourself with the wrong end of a baseball bat.
Brad Bird is not the worst choice ever. No, that particular distinction is reserved for your mother’s decision not to abort your pathetic, whiny, tasteless ass.
I find few things as laughable and pathetic as you riding other people for not being “real film fans” (as you often do over at Well’s site especially) for not going to the movies 3-5 times a week to see…wait for it…Twilight or other tweener crap, some creatively bankrupt cop movie (VIOLENCE!) or the latest Michael Bay movie (10 TIMES!!). Your stupendous and utterly creepy fascination with underage girls and how you see them as your soulmates, coupled with your utter dismissal of whole genres of rich cinema (FOREIGN FILMS!…I’LL WAIT FOR THE REMAKE WITH GOOD LOOKING AMERICAN ACTORS…ANIMATION IS FOR KIDS…YADDASTUPIDYADDAPLEASEPAYATTENTIONTOME) makes you positively the weirdest, most unwholesome and tasteless individual I think I’ve ever seen posting on any site.
Have a nice day. Hope you get proper medication soon.
thrice- are you suggesting that there is a correct end of a baseball bat in which to fuck yourself?
Don’t tell me I’ve been using the wrong end the whole time…
“it says a lot about Disney’s new management that they’ve basically grounded the project.”
It was set up at Warnerz, bitches!
I would probably prefer Bird over Morel for IM, but McDonald? They might as well hire Stuart Baird to helm it. At least the guys who made Crank have some visual flair with action sequances. Hire them and reign in their vulgar tendencies and you might have an exciting movie. I don’t know if anyone has called Matthew Vaughn regarding the job but he should be on the short list.
I know they don’t keep a running thread throughout the films other than Luther as his wingman, but if it was my franchise to run I would consider bringing back Thandie Newton and contrasting her to his suburban wife (MILFy sure, but she’s no international cat burglar)and the life Hunt left behind when he left the field. It might make for an interesting plot that ties the previous parts of the series together.
Kinda my point, hcat.
Just to be clear, I’m not saying that Bird wouldn’t bring a valuable skill set to the film. I’m saying that none of the directors have been allowed to really “own” their missions 100%. And I think Bird deserves that.
And however snotty you may be about it, EthanG, understand that Bird has not directed a live action film and the Pixar-to-live history so far resulted in Narnia… an okay, very expensive live action debut… financed primarily by non-studio funding. I don’t think I am being in any way patronizing to him, his talent, or his history. I’d rather see him do a Stand By Me kind of film than get hooked into being part of a machine. And I’m pretty sure he feels similarly.
I agree with you on the Stand By Me route. Sure the Incredibles delivered a lot of Whiz-Bang goodness, but Bird’s strength is with the emotional core of the characters. So cutting his teeth on an October Sky vehicle would be a good way to introduce himself to the flesh and blood world.
There’s the wrong end, and then there’s the slightly less wrong “if you’re into that sort of thing” end.
I was suggesting the former for Herr Lex, that final bastion of bad fucking taste. As for the latter, feel free to go nuts (no pun intended). Just keep the pictures to yourselves.
There’s the wrong end, and then there’s the slightly less wrong “if you’re into that sort of thing” end.
I was suggesting the former for Herr Lex, that final bastion of bad fucking taste. As for the latter, feel free to go nuts (no pun intended). Just keep the pictures to yourselves.
If it’s worth posting once, it’s worth posting twice. My apologies nonetheless.
“the Pixar-to-live history so far resulted in Narnia… an okay, very expensive live action debut… financed primarily by non-studio funding.”
Didn’t Andrew Adamson come out of Dreamworks (with SHREK)? Big difference between that animated franchise and anything Bird’s done. Or are you just talking generically about an “animation director” going to live-action?
It would be awesome if somebody would actually make a movie in the style of the original TV shows, with a complex it-all-comes-together-in-the-last-five-minutes plot, as the DePalma and Abrams movies managed for a scene or two each, but I guess that’s too much to hope for. (I can barely remember the Woo movie except that it was five hours of boredom capped by a good half-hour action climax.)
There’s the wrong end, and then there’s the slightly less wrong “if you’re into that sort of thing” end.
Thanks for the clarification, now I know what to look for. I wouldn’t want to find someone on craigslist to give me a “Louisville Buggerer” and have them not know what they are doing.
Fair enough DP. I guess I’m just pissed that Andrew Adamson gets to go out and make Narnia after doing “Shrek” and Bird’s project, like most transitional ones, falls through, despite an Oscar win for screeplay (plus another nomination for screenplay).
Also, Pixar’s involvement with Walden for the first Narnia wasn’t that extensive I was led to believe, and that film was a financial smash…they didn’t really have a part in the sequel was my understanding. I have a hard time seeing them side with Disney’s successful efforts (which led to the split with Walden) to turn “Prince Caspian” into a video game.
Hey, at least they’re still going forward with “John Carter of Mars” for Andrew Stanton though…
Brad is an excellent choice. Any doubters, take another look at the timing in Incredibles.
My apologies for the Pixar/DWA brain fart.
Yes… Adamson was Shrek.
But yes, big animation to big live action was my point.
And yes, Narnia ended up with big grosses… bur Caspian was much more in line with what they thought – close to release – Narnia would do… before The Christians landed. Caspian wasn’t an immediate “go” project. And #3 is a borderline financial call, hoping there will be a pop from #2.
Big Animation guys have a familiarity with the idea of working with effects people, etc. But the transition can be hard. And a high-pressure, let’s try to do it in camera production like M:I4 will be even tougher. But the major issue for me – as stated – is too many cooks who are too decisive.
“1906” should’ve happened after he wrote the teleplay for “Amazing Stories: The Main Attraction”– brilliant, touching…
Brad Bender is a god.
As far as “Caspian” goes though, Walden thought they were making a different movie than what they ended up with (not a summer tentpole)…and to be fair Disney tried to go more mainstream because of budgetary concerns. I’m sure Fox trimmed the budget for “Dawn Treader” in a big way, especially after “Seeker,” “City of Ember,” etc were duds for Fox.
Agree with the general point…Bird is such a great storyteller though, I think he deserves better than MI4….
Straying off topic but I’m confused as to what happens with future Dreamworks Animation releases in 2012 in terms of distribution (aside from sequels like Madagascar and the Shrek spinoff which Im guessing are still Paramount). Is Disney going to be distributing Dreamworks animation productions, in addition to in-house projects and Pixar??
That’s sure going to make awards campaigning interesting if it’s the case.
Since Dreamworks Animation is technically a seperate stand alone company they can pick and choose who releases their stuff. I think Paramount might have a seperate distribution contract that lasts longer than the live action stuff.
And both Madagascar and Shrek began before the Paramount era, I don’t think the mountain would have any claim on them if they could contractually take them elsewhere.
DreamWorks Animation will continue to release through Par.
EthanG: Both of Bird’s Oscar wins were for Animated Feature, with two additional nods for Screenplay.