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EXCLUSIVE: 20th Century Fox has set Shawn Levy to direct Fantastic Voyage, the James Cameron-produced 3D tent pole film. I’m told that Levy has boarded the re-imagining of the 1966 original about a team of scientists shrunk into a ship in an attempt to save a colleague’s life. Fox and Cameron have been moving cautiously on a big budget film that, from early in the script once they go inside the body, is almost exclusively CGI. The script is by Shane Salerno, with Laeta Kalogridis working on a polish.
The directing job has been one of the big open slots out there since Paul Greengrass ended a flirtation with the picture last year. I’m told that helmers like Darren Aronofsky, Timur Bekmambetov, Jonathan Mostow and Louis Leterrier met with Cameron. Levy is an unexpected choice, but he is a Fox favorite who is broadening beyond comedies into bigger fare.
He has a strong commercial instinct, and made Fox a fortune with the Night at the Museum franchise and before that Cheaper By the Dozen and What Happens in Vegas, which led the film to re-up his 21 Laps banner last year for another 3 years. He last directed the Tina Fey-Steve Carell comedy Date Night for Fox. Levy most recently directed the hi-tech action film Real Steel for DreamWorks with Hugh Jackman and recently signing on for another action adventure picture with the star for Fox. He also set up a feature version of the Spike TV series Deadliest Warrior at Fox through his 21 Laps banner as a possible directing vehicle on a film now being scripted by John D. Payne and Patrick McKay. Levy is repped by WME.
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Wow, they just won’t let this 3-D scam fade will they? I’m guessing this will hit theaters in 3 years or so? I predict this along with the Avatar sequels (which will do good to gross a combined take less than half of the original) will be the last of this fad.
Yeah, that or you’re just plain wrong.
fantastic!
Cool, they’re re-imagining this? Not remaking it?
Awesome, so maybe instead of shrinking into a ship and going inside a colleague’s body, the filmmakers are going to use their big fat IMAGINATIONS and come up a completely differe — wait, what’s that? They’re shrinking into a ship and traveling inside a colleague’s body?
So, it’s a remake then? I’m confused.
well done!
Hey these are good story notes,try to uhm Schekenberg at least.
IS THIS A JOKE? Levy has directed friggin (bad) comedies and now Cameron wants him to remake a sci-fi classic? Has Cameron completely lost it? This screams to me that Cameron wanted someone cheap who he could boss around. Major suckage.
This concept is kind of outdated. With the advent of nanotechnology the idea that we would ever need to miniaturize humans into a spacecraft to perform surgery is kind of silly, when a remote piloted craft would be far simpler and just as capable. But the world is also still under the delusion that launching canned primates into the far reaches of space is a good idea.
Hence the re-imagining. Don’t expect the micronauts to concern themselves with being really tiny Dr. McCoys.
They’re making a movie/entertainment/thriller – NOT a documentary. Following your pedantic line of thinking, there’s no need for any movies at all.
Out of curiousity, is there any indication that this is the same one he’s reteaming with Jackman for?
Because otherwise, it seems odd that he’d be signed for two seperate Fox films within a week of each other.
No. The other thing was a new project they set up. This has been in development for years. Fox loves Shawn Levy. He’s made a ton of money for them.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
James Cameron built a solid career directing good films. Only James Cameron could direct the two highest grossing films of all time with over a decade between projects.
Unfortunately, Cameron now appears to be making up this lost decade by putting together the biggest pile of crap he can bang out in this decade.
I guess Jim is willing to trade his “King of the World’ position to “King of Crap”.
How truly disappointing!
Big Fat Liar
Just Married
Cheaper By the Dozen
The Pink Panther
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum 2
Date Night
If Cameron wants to associate himself with bad filmmakers, it’ll only hurt his name.
‘chill out’? I’m just pointing out the obvious. when our multiplexes are drenched in reboots and sequels, a ‘chill out’ philosophy is exactly what we don’t need if we want to see some good movies, directed by good filmmakers. Levy is simply a bad filmmaker… he’s proven it time and again. Yes, they offered it to Aronofsky and Greengrass and they passed, so this ditch effort smells a lot like Bret Ratner chosen for the 3rd X-Men. Someone like James Cameron, who goes on and on about how he wants to change cinema for the better, should not be backing a director like Levy. It’s common sense.
good point. i will admit i was confused by the choice. there seem to be more interesting directors out there for a project like this.
“will deliver on the script like she did with Avatar.”
I can only assume that was a joke.
No, not quibbling with “Avatar’s” success, but if you think it was due to a high-quality script I beg you to reconsider.
Oh, c’mon everybody — calm down. I’m not a Levy fan myself but it isn’t like they’re tapping him to remake Star Wars. I trust Cameron so let’s wait and see…
Shawn Levy seems to be the man of 2011. He’s everywhere! How is it possible for his to direct and produce so many projects at the same time?
There’s a lot of love out there for the Boyd / Pleasance / Welch original. It is anything but forgotten. The public backlash against an unworthy, crappy “reimagining” would be massive.
Here is a fact.
Isaac Asimov (one of the greatest Sci-Fi authors of the 20th Century), wrote book one and two in the VOYAGE series. The first book was based on a screenplay and the second was an original book. Hope the studio has checked out those agreements as Asimov brought a great deal of originality to the franchise.
Asimov’s estate has tree new novels in the I,ROBOT series underway and a new film deal in place for the sequel to the movie, I,ROBOT.
And you all saw the same SANCTOMONIUS SANCTUM I wasted my money on? Oh yeah, JC is really on the mark. always. Just like with his dribble dialogue and lousy characters. Oh…wait…he was only an exec. on this. Had no responsibility at all. I forgot.
Cameron hired him because he’s Canadian. Those Canadians are secretly taking over Hollywood. Mark my word, one day soon there will nothing but 3D hockey movies.
FV was cool cause it was so cutting edge with its premise (hey, I was 4 when I first saw it, ok?) I love rewatching it and laughing over the “State of the art” computer gadgetry shown during the opening titles. Gotta love those LED computer numbers scrolling away to those cheesy 60s medical sci-fi sound effects. The part about the acting in FV couldnt be truer, tho. IT SUCKED! (Among other gems during the film, the line uttered by the skipper of the sub while explaining to Grant the intracasies of the subs controls: “…Theres a button and a switch for everything….”) lmfao
But I dont care….I LOOOVE that flick! Question is, who the hell are they gonna get to fill Donald Pleasence’s whacko shoes?? That baldy was downright creepy in that role. I even thought that in ’66 when I was 4!!
But seriously, with ALL the freakin remakes going on for the last 30 years+, and the killer advancements in CG’s, why NOT remake thee most compelling type of sci-fi flick ever made….IMHO.
Cameron in charge should be the right trick. I love many of his other flicks….’Aliens’ beat the original (which is sayin something!)….’Terminator 2′ also beat the original (sayin something HUGE)…. ‘The Abyss’ was awesome….’Titanic’ and its special effects were untouchable….’Avatar’
(in 3D) was otherwordly, pun intended….the list goes on. So, hopefully, if they cast it right and do it right…..AND KEEP THE PROTEUS AS IS—THATS ONE BEAUTIFUL SUB!!……this could be a remake worth its salt.
Has anyone ever read Issac Asimov’s “Fantastic Voyage: Destination Brain” ? Its like his part 2 novel. Well, his second attempt novel, anyway. I read that one years ago, it wasnt too bad. Of course I was biased and couldnt have found a fault with it if I tried.
Here’s to hoping it aint a joke of a remake!
Project on hold due to actors pushing too hard for $$$. Art Department, et. al. sent home and project officially on ‘hiatus’ for a month.