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BREAKING: In a high-six-figure deal, Warner Bros has acquired The Samurai, a spec script that will be the next film directed by Warrior helmer Gavin O’Connor. The intention is to get it into production quickly, because O’Connor is also working on a stage play adaptation of The Hustler, the Walter Tevis novel that was turned into the 1961 pool hustler film that starred Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. O’Connor secured the rights from the author’s estate and Fox and is writing the stage play with his Warrior co-writer Anthony Tambackis. They are deep into it, and while they’ve not yet taken the play out for financing, O’Connor is eyeing a Broadway bow and said he’s got a commitment from Renee Zellweger to play Sarah Packard, the companion of Fast Eddie Felson who was played in the film by Piper Laurie.
As for The Samurai, O’Connor wrote the spec with Michael J. Wilson. The action adventure is about a rogue assassin named Townes Joyce, who breaks out of a Texas jail that puts him on the run from an international manhunt. Along the way, he gets involved with a woman and her child, and they go along for a ride that spans Costa Rica, Colombia, Paris and back to the U.S. O’Connor intends to make this his film follow-up to Warrior, which stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte. I’m not sure if it’s because national audiences weren’t turned on to the mixed martial arts-heavy marketing campaign, but I thought the film was a lot better than is reflected in the $15 million it has grossed worldwide so far since its release. O’Connor also directed Pride and Glory, Miracle and Tumbleweeds. He’s repped by CAA.
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Warrior is my favourite movie of the year. Fox should’ve went with him for The Wolverine. Fine director. MMA is huge – young males just don’t go to the cinema anymore.
O’Connor is a cheeseball director. The movie was good because of Tom Hardy. Period. Why did they shoot all that footage from outside of the cage? It all looked like crap. And the MMA coverage in the movie from announcers, etc., was dumb as dirt.
You have no data to support your claim re young male attendance. September has been very very good at the box office.
THE HUSTLER remade as a play? What a waste of energy. Good luck, fellers.
This script is really, really pedestrian bordering on bad. The writing is decent (punchy, stacatto type stuff) but the story and characters, well, suck. Not surprised that it sold b/c of Gavin but wow does it need work. This feels like a roll of the dice for WB, a bet on the director more than anything else.
“Warrior” was so, so underrated. I wasn’t 100% on “Pride & Glory,” but “Warrior’s” just great with fantastic performances. He can clearly direct actors.
I loved Warrior. I’m a woman so I’m not in its target audience but the characters were so well developed and the writing so good I was sucked in. I think it’s one of the best fight films in quite a while.
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw WARRIOR. I half expected nothing more than tough guys beating each other up, but instead I got a fully developed story, with interesting characters, and an emotional and action packed third act. Disappointed at the box office, but I guess that’s why they call it “Hollywood Magic”. You never know what’s going to make it and why…
I’m looking forward to anything O’Connor works on.
Putting aside the Irish Math which is something of a cliche in Irish culture (Sibling Rivalry + Dad Divided by Booze = “Mom Always Liked You Best”)I think this is an incredibly well-made film. The manipulation of sound alone is masterful (as it is in “Moneyball” as well I think.) It has a totally unique look and feel. It doesn’t exploit boxing films like “Rocky” and “Raging Bull” – it stares them down. Like the playwright Martin McDonagh, save one pitiless mention, it strips working class Irish of the consolation of religion. Has it gone away? Is it too late to market it to women? Get them in the theaters. They will love it. The women in the theater when I saw it were rapt. Applause at the end – the works. Everybody’s great but Tom Hardy, playing the inarticulate mook you’ve seen in the movies hundreds of times before in one form or another, is hypnotic. Mixed martial arts is a fresh and interesting subject – how often can you say that these days? – and somehow it seems as though Lionsgate interpreted this as a liability rather than a strength. Thematically the title works but it’s probably keeping people away. And it doesn’t accurately describe what the movie is about which is a shame for potential moviegoers.
Gavin is an amazing director and Warrior is an awards contender. Anthony Tambakis is a genius. Don’t underestimate these two……
Anthony Tambakis genuis? based on what? the guys done nothing but this which has two other well known writers with distinct voices attached as well. no doubt the movie should win awards but lionsgate seems to have dashed those hopes with a lousy campaign and sloppy choice of weekend opening on 9/11.
Before the “Nice self promotion” posts start, I’m Anthony Tambakis, and I am not a genius. That is all.
it can still win awards, regardless of box office.
Don’t know anything about Anthony Tambakis at all but he’s got a sense of humor about himself therefore I like him. I now eagerly look forward to the next piece of garbage the hapless moron lucks himself into.
Good to see Mark Kelley and his comms are knocking on Hollywood’s doors, just as hard as Anthony Tambakis works at his craft.
WARRIORS is successful because it’s just a simple, solid story with a lot of heart and drama for what it’s about — the will to win and overcome.
And no…I don’t work for any of those involved. But I saw the movie, and there’s real, garbage being made by hapless morons with bigger budgets and so called stars and
a lot more marketing powers than WARRIORS had.
Anthony -
You guys didn’t happen to read an MMA script called FLOW WITH THE GO written by John Herzfeld did you? Considering Spencer Baumgarten at CAA represented both John Herzfeld and Gavin O’Conner it seems strange that both directors would develop projects with such similarities. FLOW WITH THE GO was also about a Soldier from Iraq that gets discovered online and becomes an MMA Fighter trying to take care of his fallen friends widow. It also had two brothers with their alcoholic father.
FLOW WITH THE GO was floating around Hollywood about 5 years ago and was supposed to be set up at LIONS GATE.
I read FLOW WITH THE GO back then and I saw WARRIOR, which was excellent by the way, however it did feel like pieces were borrowed from Herzfeld’s script. Herzfeld and FLOW WITH THE GO were also backed by the UFC owners which could have made the difference in finding the audience you guys needed to be a box office hit. Regardless it was still a good MMA film.
Eric
Hey Eric. I’ve never heard of that piece, no less read it. Gav brought the story to me, so it wasn’t an idea I originated. I can’t speak for Gav’s having heard of it or not, but I can say that he’s about as straight a cat as you can be and would never lift material from anyone. He’s got a twin brother, Greg, and when they were kids they were split up by an alcoholic Dad (Greg went with his Mom and Gav stayed with his Pop). So the heart of the story is from his own background. Iraq I’m not sure about, but I think the idea was to give the story more scale and make it clearly about more than fighting. Good question, though. I’d love to say that kind of thing doesn’t go in Hollywood, but that wouldn’t be true.