Michael Bacall Archives - The Playlist

Channing Tatum & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Teaming Up For An R-Rated Musical Comedy

The Playlist Staff — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 19:18:27 +0000

Channing Tatum & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Teaming Up For An R-Rated Musical Comedy

Continue reading Channing Tatum & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Teaming Up For An R-Rated Musical Comedy at The Playlist.

Bill Hader Says Script For Les Grossman-Centric ‘Tropic Thunder’ Spin-Off Is Done

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 05:28:03 +0000

Bill Hader Says Script For Les Grossman-Centric 'Tropic Thunder' Spin-Off Is Done

Continue reading Bill Hader Says Script For Les Grossman-Centric ‘Tropic Thunder’ Spin-Off Is Done at The Playlist.

‘The Wackness’ Director Jonathan Levine To Direct Hardboiled Crime Film ‘Little Girl Lost’

Kevin Jagernauth — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 01:45:00 +0000

Jonathan Levine, director of the charming ’90s set, hip-hop infused coming-of-age tale “The Wackness” and the horror thriller “All The Boys Love Mandy Lane” (which is still without a proper DVD release in North America) is now attached to direct an adaptation of Richard Aleas’ hardboiled crime novel, “Little Girl Lost” for Universal, who have acquired the rights.

The film has some serious potential, as the novel it’s based on won the 2008 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Original.

Continue reading ‘The Wackness’ Director Jonathan Levine To Direct Hardboiled Crime Film ‘Little Girl Lost’ at The Playlist.

Edgar Wright Has No Current Plans For ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Sequel; But Bryan Lee O’Malley Could Pen Special Features Book

Katie Walsh — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:09:00 +0000

At a recent round-table interview with the cast, filmmakers, and author (Bryan Lee O’Malley), of the much-hyped “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” the film’s director Edgar Wright revealed no current plans for a possible sequel to what could be the hit of the late summer. While the movie isn’t even out yet, and so it seems all too premature to start speculating on sequels, it is well known that such is the state of the industry that sequels are often planned before the first movie is even shot (see: all comic book properties).

Continue reading Edgar Wright Has No Current Plans For ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Sequel; But Bryan Lee O’Malley Could Pen Special Features Book at The Playlist.

Michael Bacall Calls ’21 Jump Street’ John Hughes Meets ‘Badboys’; Says Les Grossman Movie Is ‘Totally Insane’

Edward Davis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:28:00 +0000

Earlier this week, we attended the “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” press junket. A small snippet of our conversation with Edgar Wright is here.

We also had an opportunity to speak with the up-and-coming screenwriter Michael Bacall who co-wrote the forthcoming picture with Wright. As we noted recently, Bacall is kind of everywhere. He’s writing Jonah Hill’s “21 Jump Street,” the Les Grossman film for Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise, plus he’s penned or been attached to several other projects, including the narrative feature-length version of Seth Gordon’s take on his own documentary, “The King Of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.”

While sadly, there was no real update on ‘Kong’ (“we were working on that for a little while”), he did give us a little bit about the other aforementioned projects.

Continue reading Michael Bacall Calls ’21 Jump Street’ John Hughes Meets ‘Badboys’; Says Les Grossman Movie Is ‘Totally Insane’ at The Playlist.

Phil Lord Dishes On ‘R-Rated Crazy Action Movie’ Version Of ’21 Jump Street’

Gabe Toro — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Slowly but surely, Hollywood is doing their part to de-ghettoize animation and cartoon artists. Maybe it’s the fact that most movies, with thick, artificial 3D transfers and excessive computer effects are in themselves animated films, but in some cases, it has to do with the artistry, as Pixar craftsmen Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton are both behind the camera for anticipated live-action tentpoles “Mission: Impossible IV” and “John Carter Of Mars” respectively.

It looks like Phil Lord and Chris Miller are the latest to benefit from this enhanced exposure.

Continue reading Phil Lord Dishes On ‘R-Rated Crazy Action Movie’ Version Of ’21 Jump Street’ at The Playlist.

Paramount Picks Up Tom Cruise’s ‘Les Grossman’ Movie; ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Writer Hired To Pen Script

Kevin Jagernauth — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:01:00 +0000

You gotta hand it to Tom Cruise. His fat suit turn as the egotistical, foul-mouthed mega producer Les Grossman in Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” earned him back some much needed cred from the public and was a shift in direction for the usually drama-heavy actor. We thought it would end there, but the character has endured perhaps better than the movie has, and in the build up to the MTV Movie Awards last weekend Grossman re-appeared in a few viral ads berating the cast of “Twilight” and then capped it all off with a dance routine with Jennifer Lopez.

Continue reading Paramount Picks Up Tom Cruise’s ‘Les Grossman’ Movie; ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Writer Hired To Pen Script at The Playlist.

Edgar Wright To Insert Elements Of New Volume 6 With Quick, 3-Day ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Reshoot

Jacob Combs — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:47:00 +0000

Edgar Wright has confirmed the Production Weekly tweet announcement that he’s headed back to Toronto for three more days of shooting on “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.” While this isn’t unusual (please see the recent “Twilight: Eclipse” ‘reshoot’ story that had everyone briefly panicked) what is interesting this time around is that Wright may be incorporating elements from Volume 6 of the graphic novel series that is set to hit shelves next month.

In an email to CHUD (via Cinemablend) from Wright he says, “We have material from Vol 6.

Continue reading Edgar Wright To Insert Elements Of New Volume 6 With Quick, 3-Day ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Reshoot at The Playlist.

Todd Phillips & Joel Silver Hold Open Casting Call For Mysterious, Low Budget, Hard-R Comedy ‘Project X’

Kevin Jagernauth — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:28:00 +0000

Are you a young American who dreams of becoming the next Will Ferrell? Today may be your lucky day.

Announced last week, production seems to be moving full steam ahead for the mysterious, low budget, hard-R comedy currently known as “Project X” produced by Todd Phillips and Joel Silver and set to be directed by British commercial helmer Nima Nourizadeh. Moreover, it appears that the decision to cast actual “unknowns” (instead of just slotting in stage actors or stand up comedians) is holding true as an online open call has gone up.

Continue reading Todd Phillips & Joel Silver Hold Open Casting Call For Mysterious, Low Budget, Hard-R Comedy ‘Project X’ at The Playlist.

‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ Creators Try To Manage Deafening, Early Buzz

Kevin Jagernauth — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:37:00 +0000

Although nearly everyone agrees that the trailer looks insanely enjoyable, the creators of “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” are still taking a cautionary approach to the early fanboy love for the film.

After the trailer got jillions of views online — the Apple Trailers site even went down due to the crazy demand — director Edgar Wright and producer/comic creator Bryan Lee O’Malley were met with near universal praise. The duo have the kind of buzz nearly every director and comic book writer could ever dream of, but are wary of celebrating too soon.

Continue reading ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ Creators Try To Manage Deafening, Early Buzz at The Playlist.

Todd Phillips & Joel Silver Team-Up: Nima Nourizadeh’s Secret Comedy ‘Project X’ Heading For Hard-R Raunchy Laughs

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:13:00 +0000

One of our favorite phrases in a press release has to be “hard R-rating.” Not that we’re raving juvenile perverts (ok, maybe), but throwing that flag up before casting is even finished signals that a very particular type of movie is being made. And we can respect the hell out of a studio who’s willingly parting with the extra scratch shaving an R down to a PG-13 can bring.

So all hail über-producer Joel Silver (wow did we really just hail Silver?) and “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips for setting up their mysteriously-titled “Project X” at Warner Bros, according to Deadline.

Continue reading Todd Phillips & Joel Silver Team-Up: Nima Nourizadeh’s Secret Comedy ‘Project X’ Heading For Hard-R Raunchy Laughs at The Playlist.

Edgar Wright Confirms The ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Film Diverges From The Books Around Graphic Novel #3

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Edgar Wright is sticking to the script.

Last year we read the funny, clever and entertaining screenplay for “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” written by Wright and Michael Bacall (also an actor, who appeared in small roles in “Inglourious Basterds” and Tarantino’s “Death Proof”) and honestly, we enjoyed the hell out of it. It was crisp, sharp, and really amusing with some awesome, memorable quips. It’s no wonder some have said it has elements of a modern-day “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

After reading the screenplay we also noted the key differences between Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel and the script.

Continue reading Edgar Wright Confirms The ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Film Diverges From The Books Around Graphic Novel #3 at The Playlist.

Jonah Hill Says ’21 Jump Street’ Remake Will Shoot This Year

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:05:00 +0000

Jonah Hill talked to Coming Soon about his upcoming reboot of cops-go-undercover-in-high-school TV show “21 Jump Street,” which recently added directors in the shape of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who were behind the excellent “Cloudy With Chance of Meatballs.”

Despite Hill’s presence as writer/producer/star, the project will apparently play it fairly straight.

“It’s a comedy with really cool action. We’re not doing something serious like “Miami Vice.” But it’s not a parody.

Continue reading Jonah Hill Says ’21 Jump Street’ Remake Will Shoot This Year at The Playlist.

New ‘A-Team’ Pictures Released; ‘Piranha 3-D’ Pushed To August, Is Weinstein Finally Tapped Dry?

Oliver Lyttelton — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:29:00 +0000

— After the trailer debuted earlier in the week, we’ve more or less written off “The A-Team” movie (and, frankly, the once-promising Joe Carnahan). Nevertheless, some new stills have been released, showing the cast holding guns, Bradley Cooper wearing Denzel Washington’s hipster scarf on his head, and to the left, Liam Neeson and Rampage Jackson playing a game of Clue. Is it just us, or is Carnahan cribbing from “Three Kings” in a big way here?

Continue reading New ‘A-Team’ Pictures Released; ‘Piranha 3-D’ Pushed To August, Is Weinstein Finally Tapped Dry? at The Playlist.

How Will Ruben Fleischer Follow Up ‘Zombieland’?

Oliver Lyttelton — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:55:00 +0000

“Zombieland” has proven to be that rare thing, a (relatively) low budget genre picture that is now beloved by both critics and audiences – only “District 9” has had a better reaction this year. Director Ruben Fleischer, a former assistant to Miguel Artera (“The Good Girl”), who moved on to music videos for the likes of Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A, is now hotly sought after in town, and has been linked to a series of projects.

Continue reading How Will Ruben Fleischer Follow Up ‘Zombieland’? at The Playlist.

Tarantino’s ‘Basterds’ Paperback Screenplay Hits Today; Director Compares His Skills To Kubrick, Orson Welles

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:46:00 +0000

The release of a screenplay for a Quentin Tarantino film is de rigeur, but we didn’t realize the paperback screenplay version of “Inglourious Basterds,” would be available so soon. It’s out today in stores and can be purchased at Amazon, where-have-you stores. Bit curious as to who’s going to be buying it as that screenplay has probably been the most widely circulated script on the Internet in the last few years and was basically everywhere a day or two after it was handed in to producer Lawrence Bender, et al.

Continue reading Tarantino’s ‘Basterds’ Paperback Screenplay Hits Today; Director Compares His Skills To Kubrick, Orson Welles at The Playlist.

New ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Teaser Trailer Reveals The One Unaccounted For Basterd Soldier

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:21:00 +0000

More previously unseen footage of Quentin Tarantino’s WWII saga, “Inglourious Basterds” has hit the web. First is an extended teaser clip from Entertainment Tonight that’s significantly different from the first teaser clip we’ve already seen and the second is a new scene via Universal Germany. If you haven’t seen the film, the clips provide more scenes Brad Pitt’s goofy accent and some shot of him in his white tux (we’re honestly not sure where that slapsticky shot of him being pulled away by German soldiers was even in the version of the movie we saw).

Continue reading New ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Teaser Trailer Reveals The One Unaccounted For Basterd Soldier at The Playlist.

New ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Poster Reveals 3 Clues

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:25:00 +0000

At a recent Vegas Licensing trade show snaps of a new “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” poster were taken (there were also posters for “Iron Man 2” and Johnny Depp’s “Rango,” but this one was the only one with credits so it interested us), but we like to dig a little deeper than just, “hey, look! Cooooool.” 😉 Or at least, generally we do.

It’s hard to tell in this smaller version we have here, but if you blow up the large version you can strain your eyes enough to find three interesting details (and give yourself a painful headache).

Continue reading New ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Poster Reveals 3 Clues at The Playlist.

Bryan Lee O’Malley Confirms ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Script Won’t Contain Elements of Forthcoming Vol. 6; We Confirm Script Is A Departure From Vol 3-5

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:40:00 +0000

Still catching up on the catching up.

“Scott Pilgrim” creator Bryan Lee O’Malley has confirmed what some of us already know. Edgar Wright’s adaptation of “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” will not include any elements of his upcoming and final, Volume 6 in the Scott Pilgrim series.

How do we know this? We’ve already read the script and actually wrote about this a while ago. But yes, not only does the ‘Scott Pilgrim’ film not include what’s in the not-yet-released Volume 6, it actually departs quite a bit from the actual novels especially through Volumes 3-5, but this isn’t a bad thing.

Continue reading Bryan Lee O’Malley Confirms ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Script Won’t Contain Elements of Forthcoming Vol. 6; We Confirm Script Is A Departure From Vol 3-5 at The Playlist.

Edgar Wright Says ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Adaptation Won’t Be Verbatim Transcription Like ‘Watchmen’ – Based On The Script, This Is True

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Ahh, a man with his head on his shoulders and therefore a man after our own heart. Director Edgar Wright (“Hot Fuzz,” “Shaun of the Dead”) thankfully doesn’t need to see “Watchmen,” to know xerox regurgitating adaptations don’t do anyone any good outside a few myopic purists.

Currently filming an adaptation of the excellent graphic novel “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” in Toronto, Wright talked to Now magazine last week and he insisted plenty of comic book films like “Danger Diabolik” and those that weren’t direct adaptations but had a comic book feel — like “RoboCop” — have been made and they weren’t verbatim transcriptions, but were keenly in the spirit of the original work.

Continue reading Edgar Wright Says ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Adaptation Won’t Be Verbatim Transcription Like ‘Watchmen’ – Based On The Script, This Is True at The Playlist.

Bryan Lee O’Malley Defends Choice Of Michael Cera As ‘Scott Pilgrim’

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:23:00 +0000

So much for that day off, huh? Edgar Wright’s myspace page continues to pump out photo after photo of “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” actors either in costume or holding up pictures of their characters. Today is Michael Cera’s first real appearance (though there was one hidden, blurry shot last week).

Chud talked to ‘Pilgrim’ creator Bryan Lee O’Malley recently and while there’s no real details in their report (yet, more is coming), the author did defend the casting of Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim.

Continue reading Bryan Lee O’Malley Defends Choice Of Michael Cera As ‘Scott Pilgrim’ at The Playlist.

Who The Basterds Are In ‘Inglourious Basterds’

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:26:00 +0000

All this talk and final casting reporting on Quentin Tarantino’s sprawling WWII epic, “Inglorious Basterds” has got us thinking. OK, so who are the American bastard soldiers in the screenplay and who’s playing them? Well, we just re-read the script to get it fresh back in our minds. As we’d said when we first read the immense, 168 page screenplay, the Basterds aside from Brad Pitt aren’t as fleshed-out as characters. But on a second read, they appear more three-dimensional (or as much as they can) and you get a bit more of an idea of who they are.

Continue reading Who The Basterds Are In ‘Inglourious Basterds’ at The Playlist.

‘Kill Bill,’ ‘Death Proof’ Actors Added To ‘Inglorious Bastards’

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:52:00 +0000

So Quentin Tarantino’s multi-tiered WWII epic, “Inglorious Bastards,” is up and running and currently shooting in Germany, right? Well, it looks like the last few pieces of casting went under the radar and its looks like the director went back to the well of old pals.

Tarantino has tapped Julie Dreyfus (“Sofie Fatale” from “Kill Bill”) and Michael Bacall and Omar Doom from “Deathproof,” which reunites the guys with Eli Roth — the three of them played the dudes in Tarantino’s “Grindhouse” half in the bar trying to pickup Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), Shanna (Jordan Ladd) and radio disc jockey “Jungle Julia” Lucai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier).

Continue reading ‘Kill Bill,’ ‘Death Proof’ Actors Added To ‘Inglorious Bastards’ at The Playlist.

Eli Roth To Play The ‘Bear Jew’ In Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Oh no, terrible news. It happened or looks like it’s happening. Eli Roth is in talks to play the part of Sgt. Donny Donowitz, aka “The Bear Jew” in Quentin Taratino’s WWII epic “Inglorious Bastards.”

It’s terrible news two-fold. One we knew about this, or at least the fact that QT was hoping to cast Roth and eluded to it in an earlier post and of course we held our tongues. Secondly, Roth can’t act and has only ever had a few small roles (a small part in Taratino’s half of “Grinhouse”) and the Donowitz character does need some acting skills, not a lot, but why would you entrust someone who’s not a regular actor?

Continue reading Eli Roth To Play The ‘Bear Jew’ In Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’ at The Playlist.