Posts Tagged ‘Don Cheadle’

Retro Thursday

Thursday, November 13th, 1997

With all the talk about Martin Scorsese prepping a Rat Pack movie — a kind of sequel, combining Casino and Kundun — now HBO is talking about their own flick, looking at The Chairman of The Board (Frank), The Drunk (Dean) and The One-Eyed Wonder (Sammy) starring Aidan Quinn, Chaz Palminteri and Don Cheadle, babe. Only problem is that they’re giving the helm to solid-producer-turned-hack-director Rob Cohen, who brought consecutive disasters Dragonheart and Daylight to the big screen. And keep an eye out for Rob’s girlfriend, Dina Meyer, hot off of Starship Troopers, probably playing Ava Gardner. Ring a ding ding.
James Ellroy is moving out of the ’50s and into the ’90s. His original script, The Night Watchman, is almost ready at Warner Bros. Set in “a post-O.J. Los Angeles,” it’s another take on cops and robbers with David Fincher taking on directing chores.
“SWAT”! It’s back! Twice! Universal is setting up its own story about the birth of L.A.’s Special Weapons and Tactics force following hard on the heels of TriStar’s version of the classic ’70s TV series. TriStar’s been trying to get Oliver Stone to helm their version, so maybe the Universal competition will create enough paranoia to make it interesting enough for him to take on. Even better, Ollie — the project was set up by former Tri-Star execs who are now at the U. And it turns out that the SWAT team killed Lincoln. And Kennedy. And Elvis. And George Burns.
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Casting About – Val Kilmer, Matthew Broderick, Albert Brooks

Tuesday, September 30th, 1997

Val Kilmer will collect $9 million to play a blind man who will try experimental surgery to restore his sight in the romance, Sight Unseen. Funny, I’ve assumed he’s been blind for years. I mean, he couldn’t have actually read the scripts for Island of Dr. Moreau or The Saint, could he? He was just reading all the zeros on his Braille paycheck.
Matthew Broderick is back in high school, only this time he’s a teacher in Election. Karmicly enough, he has a student he hates; she’s no Ferris, but a goody-goody played by Reese Witherspoon who is running unopposed for student council president before Broderick creates an opponent for her. The film is being made under the MTV banner. It’s their third effort after Joe’s Apartment got flushed down the toilet after scurrying for cover when exposed to the light.
Albert Brooks has joined the cast of Out of Sight, number 397 in the current string of Elmore Leonard-based movies. Brooks is the victim of a heist by an all-star line of bad guys, including George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle and Dennis Farina. Leonard is quickly becoming the next in the line of succession started by Stephen King and followed by John Grisham. Soon to be heard at a theater near you – “If there’s one more preview for a movie with quirky, quick-witted bad guys who aren’t really bad compared to society’s white-gloved criminals and who look great in their underwear, seducing the girlfriend of the really bad bad guy so we root for them even though they spend the entire movie killing people and preparing to rip people off, I am going to scream!”
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