The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Steven Spielberg brainstorming ‘Jurassic Park 4’

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:33 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES, June 17 — Steven Spielberg has dinosaurs back on the brain lately.

In addition to the launch in the fall of his executive-produced television series "Terra Nova" on Fox, Spielberg has been meeting with screenwriter Mark Protosevich to kick around ideas for a reboot of the "Jurassic Park" franchise.

Steven Spielberg dressed to the nines at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, February 27, 2011. — Reuters pic

Several years ago, the director worked with Protosevich on a potential remake of Chan-wook Park's "Oldboy", which would have starred Will Smith. That film ran into rights problems and didn't come to fruition, but Spielberg, who directed the first two Jurassic Park films and was an executive producer on the third, has since met twice with Protosevich to fashion a story for a potential fourth film.

Both Universal, which released the trilogy, and Spielberg's camp stress that no one has been engaged to write a script, and that the discussions have been purely exploratory. But the idea is kind of a no-brainer.

The franchise, born of the late Michael Crichton's 1990 novel, has been stuck in amber since 2001, when Joe Johnston directed "Jurassic Park III" from a script by Peter Buchman, Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne.

That last entry signalled the series' fading fortunes, as it grossed just US$369 million (RM1.1 billion) worldwide. "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" grossed US$915 million and US$619 million respectively.

Spielberg's original 1993 film adaptation, which came on the heels of James Cameron's groundbreaking "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", greatly advanced CGI technology in its depiction of colossal dinosaurs re-animated in the modern day.

With the recent rebirth of 3D and soaring improvements in digital design marshalled by everyone from Cameron to Pixar, "Jurassic Park" is ripe for evolution into a 21st century phenomenon.

And Universal could use the revived sci-fi tentpole. The "Fast and the Furious" franchise remains healthy, but "The Mummy" has lost momentum, the "Bourne" series lost star Matt Damon (a reboot with Jeremy Renner is in the works), and "The Hulk", "Van Helsing", "The Wolfman" and "Land of the Lost" never caught fire.

"Battleship", a costly adaptation of the board game, remains a gamble for summer 2012 but could spark a new alien-related franchise.

Stampeding dinosaurs endangering humans, fighting each other and smashing things never gets old, and Cameron showed how far an ambitious filmmaker can push an integrated, immersive 3D world with "Avatar". A new Spielberg-produced Jurassic Park that takes full advantage of those tools could be (pre)historic.

Protosevich recently had a story credit on Marvel Studios' "Thor", and he is working on an adaptation of the Ape Entertainment comic "Freakshow", which he would also direct. He co-wrote the screenplay for "I Am Legend" and wrote both "The Cell" and "Poseidon".

Spielberg is finishing up "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" and "War Horse", both scheduled for holiday releases. He next plans to direct "Lincoln". — Reuters

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Susan Boyle story to be turned into musical

Posted: 17 Jun 2011 05:40 AM PDT

For the 300 million-plus times: Susan Boyle sings "I Dreamed a Dream" at the Danish relief show "The Denmark Collection" at the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen in this January 30, 2010, file photo. — Reuters pic

LONDON, June 17 — Scottish singer Susan Boyle, who shot to stardom in 2009 when her performance on a television singing contest became an internet hit, will see her life portrayed on stage in a musical.

"I Dreamed a Dream", named after the title of the song she sang that made her an overnight celebrity, will tour internationally from next year after premiering at Theatre Royal in Newcastle, England, on March 23.

"I never thought my life story would end up on the stage but a lot has happened in two years and it is a very exciting prospect," Boyle said in a statement.

"I hope everyone enjoys the show and I promise there will be a few surprises along the way."

Boyle will be played by actress Elaine Smith, best known for her role in the British comedy series "Rab C Nesbitt", and a favourite of Boyle's.

Boyle's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" was viewed some 300 million times on the YouTube video sharing site, and within days she was a global singing sensation.

Under the tutelage of music producer Simon Cowell, who was a judge on "Britain's Got Talent" when Boyle performed, she has gone on to record two albums and sell some 14 million copies.

Producer Michael Harrison said of the show: "It's got all the qualities of a fairytale, but with the added bonus of being absolutely true."

According to the Daily Telegraph, a 26-week tour of the Britain, the United States and Australia has been lined up so far. — Reuters

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Jumaat, 17 Jun 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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