TOLDJA! Doug Liman Directing ‘All You Need Is Kill’

COMMENTS (15)

• Hope he does something radically different with this cool work.

  Comment by MARK11 — Monday August 23, 2010 @ 11:46pm EDT  Reply to this post

• Good

  Three Musketeers is such a boring idea to do again. Is there any story that’s been adapted to screen more than that one?

  Comment by Anonymous — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 12:20am EDT  Reply to this post

  • You’re right. I’ve lost count of the number of adaptations I’ve seen of this. Period films don’t usually do too well and it’s hard to recreate pre-revolutionary France on a modest budget. Presumably the 3D version is relying on lucrative tax credits. Isn’t it being filmed in Germany? Must be the same financial setup as Speed Racer, where about 25% of the budget was covered. Hope that doesn’t jinx them!

    Comment by Spacelamb — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 9:20am EDT  Reply to this post

• Killer script. Lots of pressure to not blow it and make a dud.

  Comment by R — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 1:23am EDT  Reply to this post

  • Agreed.

    Comment by Chris — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 12:44pm EDT  Reply to this post

• Sounds like it could be a title of a Steven Seagal movie, lol.

  Comment by JohnDoe — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 1:33am EDT  Reply to this post

• Does this effectively kill Spahits’ ‘Shadow 19′? Hope not. Even though they seem to have similar plots, Shadow 19 was a kickass read.

  Fingers crossed for a Dantes Peak/Volcano, or Armageddon/Deep Impact, situation.

  Comment by ToddPhillipsSurlyStepFather — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 2:17am EDT  Reply to this post

• This will be as big of hit as the last great Japanese adaptation: Aeon Flux.

  Manga adaptations will be as DOA as Scott Pilgrim. What good is existing material if .5% of the movie going public even knows what the hell it is? BUT if anyone can do it, Doug Liman has a shot.

  Comment by Young Turk — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 3:21am EDT  Reply to this post

  • @ Turk: that’s a specious argument at best. Many literary works had tiny pre-existing fanbases, but rocked the theaters as big grosses. Planet of the Apes immediately springs to mind. There are many others too if you use the Google.

    Comment by santa — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 8:26am EDT  Reply to this post

• Is Liman still coasting on being the guy who did BOURNE IDENTITY?

  Comment by RRA — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 4:12am EDT  Reply to this post

• ALRIGHT! Enough is enough. Warner Bros, I understand that it’s still early days for this project, but seriously, change the title.

  A literal English translation of a Japanese novel title (such is my understanding) is an AWFUl idea for a film title.

  But in saying that I really enjoyed the script but as I’ve always said about this project, the choice of director isn’t the interesting part but the choice of lead.

  The script reads like a potential Zac Effron vehicle, but is he (and WB) ready to have him headline a major sci-fi actioner?

  Hmmmmm.

  Comment by Warner Borg — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 8:02am EDT  Reply to this post

• The script was horrible! It’s STORMSHIP TROOPERS meets GROUNDHOG’S DAY. I know it’s based off a graphic novel, but c’mon… we all know that Simon Crane actually directed the majority of MR. & MRS. SMITH; and JUMPER was OK at best. I don’t know why WB thinks Doug can really pull this off. SHADOW 19 would’ve been a better choice if WB didn’t pay so much $$$ for AYNIK.

  Comment by AYNIK — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 12:48pm EDT  Reply to this post

• @santa I’ve heard of this google you speak of. Quite the device.

  Classifying Magna as literature is also a specious argument. Many great novels from the 60′s and 70′s and earlier found a home in Hollywood and made money. They were written by American and European authors and had real literary bonafides. Times have changed. Those books aren’t even getting published these days. I don’t need Google for that.

  The point is, as @Warner Borg hits upon, the audience has extremely little to identify with in Japanese “literature”, whether it be a comic book delivered by the crate to your production company/agency, or a literary masterpiece by the likes of Murakami.

  If those blockbusters adapted from Japan are out there, I’ll gladly concede the point, but for now, I’m going to put the “Jonah Hex” on this one.

  Comment by Young Turk — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 4:57pm EDT  Reply to this post

  • @ Turk: The crux of your argument was that All You Need Is Kill had a small audience as Magna. I counter argued that many pieces of literature that were adapted in the past 100 years or so of cinema also had tiny audiences in printed form (see also: literary as a synonym), but had much larger audiences as adapted film.

    You did not refute my argument but attempted to straw man it by then appealing to “real literary bonafides”, whatever that means. Oh yeah, Zane Grey was a real Hemmingway. /sarcasm

    If you are biased against magna, then at least come out and just say it in the beginning. Last I heard magna and graphic novels were still an ink on paper art form with words & plot & character development, therefore literary by definition.

    Road to Perdition had a relatively small audience as a graphic novel and did well as a motion picture.

    I could go on, but you have already made up your mind. Too bad.

    Comment by santa — Wednesday August 25, 2010 @ 8:44am EDT  Reply to this post

• CALLED IT!!! I told you Nikki would get the scoop on this Liman business! You’re the real deal, Nikki!

  Comment by artduco — Tuesday August 24, 2010 @ 6:36pm EDT  Reply to this post