Daily News
News for 05 November 2009
Danny Boyle goes for "127 Hours" later

Danny Boyle has had the pick of the Hollywood litter since scooping up an Oscar this year for "Slumdog Millionaire". Speculation was rife linking Boyle with a number of projects, including a return to his "28 Days Later" franchise ("28 Months Later" perhaps?). But all that rumour–mongering ends now as Fox Searchlight announced that Boyle will next step up to the plate for "127 Hours" – the story of Aron Ralston, the mountain climber who amputated his own arm to free himself from being trapped by a boulder.

Neither a script or a star are yet in place but it‘s likely that Boyle will reteam with "Slumdog‘s" Simon Beaufoy in order to flesh out his own treatment. All that‘s left really is for a star to ‘do a Castaway‘ and appear on screen all by his lonesome for large swathes of the film (sounds like Oscar gold!). Ryan Gosling‘s name has been touted about by the trade mags but no confirmation of this has been forthcoming.

Variety says the shoot is planned for next year, with Fox Searchlight looking to release around the Christmas period to put it firmly in contention with the Academy.

Variety describes the film thus; After his right forearm is pinned for nearly five days under a boulder during a climb in Utah in May, 2003, Ralston used a dull knife to amputate the limb. He then scaled a 65–foot sheer wall and hiked out before running into a family that gave him water and food. He was finally rescued by helicopter.
It's all change on "The Tourist" once more!

There are some projects that just appear doomed from the outset before a single frame is captured in earnest…and then there‘s "The Tourist" – a production that has recently been forced to install a revolving door marked ‘talent‘ in the lobby. With original director Bharat Nalluri and stars Tom Cruise and Charlize Theron having already skipped town, two of their replacements have decided to cite that old chestnut of ‘creative differences‘ and flee the scene too. Sam Worthington has decided that he‘d rather just sit back and watch his star ascend post "Avatar" and "Clash of The Titans" than get mixed up with this one. Likewise, replacement director Florian von Donnersmarck ("The Lives of Others") fell out with producers after discovering the direction this one was going in (south I presume?).

That leaves just Angelina Jolie (Theron‘s substitute) keeping the sheets warm…which does get one to thinking. Could it be that Jolie has been driving away her colleagues like she‘s been driving away warm reactions to her latest film, "Salt"? Apparently, her Agent–On–The–Run effort is shaping up to be a turkey but whatever the reasons behind "The Tourist‘s" travails it would appear people are still willing to take a risk and join forces with Jolie.

According to Variety, Worthington will be replaced by Johnny Depp (not bad) in the lead role of ‘an American tourist who, on behalf of Interpol, goes undercover to entrap a former lover who‘s a suspected global criminal.‘ Jolie is the suspected criminal, obviously. Producers will be practically giddy thanks to Depp‘s signing – the mega pairing with Jolie undoubtedly will put the hurt locker on the Box Office.

Meanwhile, Alfonso Cuaron ("Children Of Men") is eyeing up the project and could replace von Donnersmarck. Either way, whoever takes over "The Tourist" will be tasked with keeping the ship steady enough in order for ‘actual‘ filming to take place!