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EXCLUSIVE: I hear that, after a hot pursuit by all the major Hollywood agencies, formerly rep-less Brad Bird has signed with UTA’s Tracey Jacobs and David Kramer. The writer-director is currently prepping to helm Paramount’s Mission: Impossible IV for producer J.J. Abrams, with Tom Cruise starring. But Deadline has reported previously that Paramount is currently rethinking MI4. I hear the script that came in is very good, but the studio is still trying to figure out the budget as well as Cruise’s role in light of the lackluster Knight And Day grosses. There’s talk that Tom’s character will mentor a young operative this time out if the pic proceeds. I just hope Bird is pay or play.
He’s also attached to direct 1906 for Warner Bros. Bird won two Academy Awards for directing the Pixar hits The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Bird’s first major animated feature came with Warner Bros’ The Iron Giant. In addition to working at Pixar, Bird has also had a prolific television career on such shows as The Simpsons, King Of The Hill, and The Critic. Bird will continue to be represented by attorney Jake Bloom.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Brad, please do a sequel to The Incredibles.
I’m really looking forward to what Bird can do in live-action as well as his continued animation projects.
A talent and gracious man. He serves success. Also very loyal to his staff.
Thank you.
So glad that a great, woman agent got him. I’m crazy about Bird – mad talent. But just so you know Nikki, my managers reached out to Jacob’s office recently and were told out of hand that she’s not signing any new talent (of course, who wouldn’t make an exception for Bird?? – no naivite here) and were then promptly hung up on – in the middle of the conversation.
I just find it so bizarre that even in this day and age – with all that everyone understands about how this town works – people can’t just tell their truth: “Don’t come to us unless your quote is already over 7 figures.” (I’m close, but not there yet), or “We think you suck. Good luck.”
It’s ok to just say it like it is. Really. If the talent doesn’t have a thick enough skin to take it, they won’t make it anyway. You’re doing them a favor.
Oh, and to that assistant, if you’re selling bullshit to try to keep your boss’s image as one that is courteous and professional (which I’ve heard that she actually is), then don’t hang up on people. You’re not talented enough to be ironic.
Go Brad Go! And, yes, please give us more Incredibles.
If your manager cold called Tracy Jacobs to get you repped you deserve the reaction you got. Hackish.
Anonymous – Did you really just write a four paragraph message to the world about how tracey jacob’s assistant hung up your manager as they pitched you? haha… Wow. That is embaresssing. Why would you share that? So we all know how insignificant you are? I’ve noticed your postings, and how they always are so delusional, and negative towards others… maybe you should take a serious look at your career, and realize that you’re not exactly as special as you want the world to think you are.
If your quote was anything close to 7 figures you would be on here posting about Tracey Jacob’s asst. hanging up on your manager.
Iron Giant is one of the best animated movies for children. It had a great theme and was unique.Loved the storyline and development. Bird is the best. A sequel to Incredibles would be terrific.
Hope Bird moves on from Paramount.He can do better!
Minor correction: Despite BB’s fantasies to the contrary, the Iron Giant was written by Tim McCanlies.
IRON GIANT will always be one of my favorite films.
I think he is one of the most talented directors alive! I can’t wait to see whatever he does next!
Is it fair to say Bird won Academy Awards for directing, when it was actually the movies that won Best Animated Feature? Please bear with me here — I’m just curious about this … I mean, if a movie wins Best Picture, do we say that its director won an Oscar?
The recipient of the Best Picture Oscar is a producer. But for Animated Picture (and Foreign Language), the award goes to the director.
The sad thing is — is that Knight and day is one of the best films of the year — seriously you will not have more fun watching a movie. I think that Mission Impossible is kinda of a different circumstance — since it is a sequel, and it’s not like Knight and day is tanking, if anything, it is reestablishing tom as a box office draw.
You really think if you type that often enough, it will become true?
After 30 minutes of not making any sense, I walked out–as did most of the audience. I don’t necessarily blame Cruise, though. Crappy script, and shallow direction seem to be the culprit.
Time to recast Cruise role in Mi4. Come on Paramount, the public would applaud if you gave Cruise the heave-ho. We’ve had enough of this couch jumping whack job. Its not like he’s the glue holding this franchise together – no more than Alec Baldwin was the glue holding the Jack Ryan series together or Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan were responsible for the success of Bond.
When will Hollywood realize that no one really likes Tom Cruise anymore? And why would they risk a $200+ million franchise on him versus the 20 other likable name actors we actually want to see?
The screenplay was written by Tim McCanlies, see IMDB. Everyone who knows about the movie’s history knows that McCanlies wrote it. Bird has an uncredited screenplay credit.
great.. can’t wait it.
Brad Bird is God.
My hope is still that Warner Bros will ask him to direct the new Superman movie. If he really wants to direct a spy story (a period one), he can call me and I’d be happy to put my movie in his hands. But he has to bring Giacchino for the music.
To bad Paramount is not rebooting Mission Imposible with a younger cast, like Warner did with Batman or Sony with Spiderman.
The main question is this: can Paramount afford to make MI:4 after Knight and Day’s performance? Are people interested in seeing Tom Cruise run around dodging fireballs? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m done. Done with so many other franchsies out there that its time to drain the well and put in some fresh new water. I don’t care who is involved with this franchise it…is…a…turd.
Knight and day is excellent.Roger Ebert, la times, MTV, Newsweek all rave and the fact that it has one of the smallest drops each week only confirms this. It will do well internationally. If u haven’t seen it you will not be disappointed
Why is he a whack job again? Because he has religious beliefs unlike others. Don’t we have freedom of religion? We r watching this great actor for his acting not for his personal beliefs.
An early version–but it’s a fact that Bird re- wrote Iron Giant viietually from scratch. Everyone knows that. Everything Bird’s done tells us that as well. What has this tim person done since?
Tim McCanles has one surviving line in The Iron Giant, it is: “But, he’s my friend” .
Brad wrote the rest of the movie (including the original story and outline given to Tim for his one, early draft).
About 10 years ago, I met Brad when he was visiting another movie set. I told him how much I admired “Iron Giant.” He was very chatty and filled with insights about it. Then he concluded with a wonderfully sardonic tone and the timing of a stand-up comedian: “It was sort of interesting in that Warner Bros. decided to release the movie without a publicity campaign and not much in the way of inspired advertising and boy we were really surprised when the movie didn’t make any money. Not sure what went wrong.”
Look at Bird’s body of work, both BEFORE and AFTER “Iron Giant” and tell me he didn’t, as everyone knows he wrote the film, from top to bottom That doesn’t mean mcanlies–among others– didn’t contribute a bit.
Yes, Tim McCanlies laid the groundwork, an awesome one at that, after hearing Brad’s vision for the story and film. It is quite silly to negate Brad’s contribution to the process. Anyone who knows the animation process knows that when you take the film into “Story” your team are going to flesh out that script, revising it and refining it, until it might not even resemble the original “script”. This is just the way it is in Animation. The Writer is certainly not sitting around there during this year long process (or two plus years at Pixar).
Please bring in either a new “Ethan Hunt” (prequel?) or have Cruise mentor a new guy and a nextgen of MI. Otherwise, who cares in view of BOURNE, SALT, etc.