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Main Junction: The Starry Wisdom Of Warren 3nov09

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  1.  (7141.1)
    I should be in London right now, having lunch with a friend and then going to a gig. But I don't have the time. Big work-pressure week, several deadlines to (almost) hit and then I need to break ground on an Apparat project at the weekend. Two Apparat projects, if I have the time, but I also need to break ground on the test script for Animation Thing. I've already done the dialogue test -- where I write one minute of the two main characters shouting at each other, basically, so voice casting and the senior artist have something to play with and key off.

    Arthurian Project is in some weird space. I'm contracted for a third draft, but Hollywood Gang seem so happy with the second draft that they're off talking to people with it in their hand. I don't think I'm allowed to talk about what's happening, but things definitely seem to be happening. Personally, I was hoping for a third draft (you won't hear me saying that often) so I could attend to some of the badly stitched limbs and gaping wounds. But that's probably, you know, just a writer talking. It's a Frankensteinian thing, Arthurian Project, with bits of the Mabinogion, old Cornish stories, Malory, obscure Saxon history and even some Irish stuff in there. I think it meets the brief: it's not an Arthurian story that's been on film before. Also, I got Arthur's spear in there, which hasn't made it to film before because its name is Ron.

    And next week, god help me, GRAVEL: THE MOTION PICTURE starts.

    (That's not its title, that's me fucking around.)

    In re BLACK SUMMER - I have no role in that film. I change my involvement per project. RED, I have a silent position in. And BLACK SUMMER's the same. Some things, I'm happy just to let the film companies run with, and see what they do. I don't treat every project like it's a child: some things were just fun to write, and I have no great attachment beyond that. These people buy the right to play with the toy, and I'm fine with that. I learned, at the same time as everyone else, that Ryne Pearson is writing the screenplay: I don't believe I've read or seen anything he's written, but he wrote KNOWING, which did well, and the nets tell me he's a novelist by trade, so he sounds like a commercially safe pair of hands, at the very least.

    Right. Back to Iron Man and anime for a day, prepping for PERCUSSION and hopefully BLACK HAND at the weekend...

    I still want to be at that gig, though. (Fennecz/Natural Snow Buildings/Grouper. Damnit!)
  2.  (7141.2)
    So, which books are like your children then? Fell, Transmetropolitan, Planetary, and Gravel are like my adopted children who were abandon by a whisky drinking englishman.
  3.  (7141.3)
    TRANSMET, certainly. FELL to an extent. PLANETARY, I don't own.
  4.  (7141.4)
    I loved "Knowing". If anyone is having trouble with this statement, here's why. As the previous sentence might imply, it seems not many people liked "Knowing", or at least the critics certainly didn't. Whatever you think of the (surprisingly ambitious) film, Pearson wrote it with two other people, so hard to say how he'll do flying solo (assuming no other writer is hired). His other credit would be as the writer of the novel that resulted in that... unwatchable piece of shit "Mercury Rising" (which, thankfully for his career, he did not write the screenplay for).

    He feels like a decent bet for BLACK SUMMER, so here's wishing for a good film.

    Good luck with your current projects, Warren -- shame you can't make it to the gig. In fact, with all the projects you're dealing with right now -- I can't help asking myself where you find the time to sleep.
    •  
      CommentAuthorFauxhammer
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009
     (7141.5)
    You hit five or six of my boner buttons talking about the Arthurian project. I keep wanting something that balances the history, the myth, and the expectation of what an Arthur story should be, and then make it readable. So excited.
  6.  (7141.6)
    My only problem with Knowing was the ending was somewhat convoluted and out of absolutely nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but all of a sudden it's like >EDIT: spoilers removed here, sorry if anyone read that<... oh that's the end, what the fuck? The rest of the film was well-paced, and even Nicholas Cage managed to not completely ruin it (which is a rare feat for him).

    Good luck making your millions Warren.
  7.  (7141.7)
    Knowing was a very well written film, but lets face it, it starred Nicholas Cage, so no one should have been expecting Citizen Kane.
    Just pray to whatever God you have you don't get Cage in Black Summer...
  8.  (7141.8)
    Just pray to whatever God you have you don't get Cage in Black Summer...


    I actually like Nicolas Cage as an actor. He amuses the shit out of me. Also, this is a guy who made a musical with David Lynch. Beat that. And besides, it's not like BLACK SUMMER is this incredibly serious and high-minded literary piece.
  9.  (7141.9)
    I actually like Nicolas Cage as an actor. He amuses the shit out of me. Also, this is a guy who made a musical with David Lynch. Beat that. And besides, it's not like BLACK SUMMER is this incredibly serious and high-minded literary piece.

    True, some of his offbeat peices are good. The Weather Man was pretty good. I think a piece of me still refuses to forgive him for Ghost Rider.
  10.  (7141.10)
    I too liked Knowing. Its certainly not flawless and, you know, Nicolas "NOT THE BEES" Cage is somewhat hamming up the hamming it up each subsequent movie. If anything, Knowing had some really good ideas that just didn't make it on screen perfectly.

    Anyway. I think its pretty interesting to see your attitude towards movie adaptations of your work. I think, that as long as the core concept is handled well, you can take it in whatever direction you want, i.e. the recent Batman movies, Iron Man,… don't follow the books slavishly — but don't fuck around with The Idea.
  11.  (7141.11)
    Adaptation and Bringing out the Dead make me have no real issue with Cage.

    Very excited to see what comes from all these movie versions. Interesting times.
    •  
      CommentAuthorchris g
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009 edited
     (7141.12)
    Wagner - aw, beat me to it!

    NIC CAGE IS...."GRAVEL!"
    Directed by McG!
  13.  (7141.13)
    I actually like Nicolas Cage as an actor. He amuses the shit out of me. Also, this is a guy who made a musical with David Lynch. Beat that.


    Nicolas Cage can certainly be trusted when working on a good script. He just has a lot of trouble choosing a script that isn't garbage, as his presence in "Ghost Rider" proved. But he's a talented actor (who does have a tendency for overacting -- which can have highly amusing results, yes).
    • CommentAuthor9thGear
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009
     (7141.14)
    Nicholas Cage kinda reminds me of the main character in No Hero.
    •  
      CommentAuthoragentarsenic
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009 edited
     (7141.15)
    Nic Cage looks to be awesome in Kick Ass. Also, that Bad Lieutenant thing? Pure black tar heroin gold.

    EDIT: If these are going to be called The Starry Wisdom of Warren I submit that Mr. Ellis must grow an awesome wizard beard, or at least someone should shoop one.
    • CommentAuthorredex
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009
     (7141.16)
    You know, Mr Ellis, these daily starry wisdom things of yours are remarkably like livejournal posts...
  17.  (7141.17)
    @Chris G
    Now that´s just being nasty! Mind you i could see him as Carrick Masterson in No Hero with a massive Simba style blond wig...
    •  
      CommentAuthormister hex
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009
     (7141.18)
    I LIKED Ghost Rider. No, it wasn't GREAT but face it, neither was the comic. I paid my admission to see a flaming skull riding a motorcycle and by Gum, dat's what I got.

    Arthur's spear is named Ron?
    • CommentAuthorPhranky
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2009 edited
     (7141.19)
    I heard the studio execs did a hatchet job on Ghost Rider which explains why some of it is blatantly nonsense. As for the ending of Knowing; it was bad. However in this case the screenwriter has pretty good source material to work with so I'm not too worried about it.
  20.  (7141.20)
    One word about the end of Knowing...
    Bunnies.
    What. The. Fuck.

    As for a Black Summer flick - hope something of the original spirit of the book will be kept. I suspect the violence won't be a problem, but the talking bits between the punching (the best bits, in other words) may be problematic. And that whole dead president thing.

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