We’ve heard the rumours, but it’s likely these ten money-takers cum
money-makers will get the appreciable greenlight in the coming months.
Get excited folks…. These are the flicks we’ll likely be seeing – not
in 2011, obviously – in 2012 and 2013.
1. Ghostbusters 3
Likely Stars : Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver
If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen this year. After that?
Fugeddaboutit. Principal project stumper Dan Aykroyd says a script
(apparently one that most are happy with) has been completed, that
they’ve a commitment from the cast (well, Bill Murray’s still hesitant
but I’m sure Sony will shut his trap with a bulky roll of bills),
there’s a casting director (well, they’ve issued a call for extras,
anyway), there’s a location (Chicago’s cheaper to film in than New
York), a director (Ivan Reitman’s not exactly a lock, but he does want
the job; Sony, on the other hand, might have other plans) and an
audience (me! Me! Me!). “We have a script now,” says Aykroyd, one of the
writers. “We’ve got the pieces on the floor, and now we have to bolt
them together and put on wheels.” Expect to hear something on the
project by mid-year – for better or worse.
2. Die Hard 5
Likely Stars : Bruce Willis
Willis – set to reprise his role as lieutenant John McClane for a fifth
time (unless you count the character’s fleeting appearance in “National
Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1”) – recently announced a Summer 2011 start
date for the fourth sequel to the 1988 hit. The ageing action hero says
he’s already seen a draft of the script (by Skip Woods) and now hopes to
convince “Live Free or Die Hard” director Len Wiseman to return (That
blows! Can’t someone free John McTiernan from Prison!?).
3. Iron Man 3
Likely Stars : Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow
Jon Favreau may have quit the franchise (he’s instead concentrating on
making a movie out of – somehow? – Disney’s Magical Kingdom) but that’s
not going to stop Paramount from Peppering Tony Stark’s Potts again
(Dunno what that means, it just came out). In a recent MTV News
interview, Favreau said, “In theory, Iron Man 3 is going to be a sequel
or continuation of Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Avengers. That whole
world … I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from
conversations I’ve had with those guys.” Assumingly we’ll hear of the
cheap surrogate chosen to replace Favreau on the ‘everything but the
kitchen sink Avengers 2 : Iron Man 3’ soonish.
4. Major League 3
Likely Stars : Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger
Original “Major League” writer/director David S.Ward recently told us he
plans to do a new “Major League” film – with the original cast (sans
Corbin Bernsen; don’t know why!?), including Wesley Snipes! – while
Charlie Sheen’s on a break from his TV series “Two and a Half Men”.
“I’ve written, what I see, as Major League 3. We’re putting that
together as we speak – in fact, next week I’m off to talk to James
Robinson at Morgan Creek about it”, Ward said in June 2010. Of the
plot, Ward says “It’s 20 years later, and Wild Thing comes out of
retirement to work with this 19-year-old player. We’ve actually got
three new characters in the new film. And if the new film is popular,
they could carry the franchise on.” These comments, of course, were made
before Mr. Sheen’s most recent troubles with the law (not to mention
Snipes’ incarceration).
5. The Last Picture Show 3
Likely Stars : Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd
Jeff Bridges looks set to reprise another of his classic characters,
Duane Jackson, in a second sequel to Peter Bogdanovich’s “The Last
Picture Show”. Bridges said recently, “I was just in Texas with Peter
[Bogdanovich] and we’re looking at doing the next installment…there’s
actually five books that Larry McMurtry wrote about those characters and
so we’ve done two and we wanna do the next thing. I don’t know if
that’s ever happened before, every 20 years going back and doin’ that.
So that’s something I’m hopin’ will come about.” Okay, so we’d much
prefer to see another “Starman” or that oft-rumoured “Big Lebowski”
sequel, but any Bridges is good Bridges. (Oh and if you’re wondering why
I haven’t included “TRON 3” in this list, it’s because I’m not
convinced Disney are going to do another. Doesn’t matter how much “TRON
Legacy” makes, the film’s still only going to break even at best).
6. Predators 2
Likely Stars : Derek Mears
Hard to say where the ‘’Predators” sequel would go story wise (Can we
get Arnold Schwarzenegger in this one!?), but what we do know is that it
will go. The 2010 film, starring Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne,
worked on a pretty low-budget so profit was always going to be something
fairly easy to procure. More so, Rodriguez has breathed new life into
the franchise – one seemingly on life support after those dire “Alien
vs. Predator” movies – ultimately sparking renewed interest in the
series. I’m keen for another go-around with the ugly mother fucker, you?
7. Indiana Jones 5
Likely Stars : Harrison Ford, Karen Allen
I know, I know… I couldn’t be any less enthused about a follow-up to the
atrocious “Kingdom Skull” either; in some respects, I’d prefer Indiana
Jones just went away. Best case scenario here : Lucas, Spielberg and
Ford come up with something that feels and plays much more like one of
the first three films in the series, putting story before style, sfx and
Shia, and Indy goes out with a bang. Pipe dream? The main parties are
apparently nutting over potential storylines for the fifth film – no
word yet on whether that includes Indiana getting an alien probe or Mutt
Williams heading to Hollywood to play TVs new Tarzan. It’s quite likely
Ford will have to something to say about the film’s progress at the
press junket for “Cowboys and Aliens” – which might just kick start the
actor’s career again, we hope – mid-year.
8. Grease 3
Likely Stars : Someone cheap
A new “Grease” project is apparently one of the main priorities over at
Paramount’s direct-to-DVD division at the moment. Knowing how little
these DTV sequels outlay, and based on the line-up of previous Paramount
famous efforts like “Without a Paddle 2” and “Road Trip 2”, I think
it’s safe to say that the new “Grease” won’t feature any of the
returning cast (from “Grease” or “Grease 2”) –unless, of course, Didi
Conn’s prepared to work for hair dye. At one stage, around about ten
years back or so, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were in talks to
reprise their roles as Danny and Sandy, respectively, for a big screen
sequel. That didn’t sound too good at the time – but now? Well…
9. Halloween 3D
Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer, the duo behind the fabbo “My Bloody
Valentine” remake as well as the upcoming “Drive Angry 3D” (which looks
equally as fun), have been attached to this one for a while. “You’d
really have to ask Dimension Films and Bob Weinstein [what’s happening
with it],” director and co-writer Lussier tells Moviefone. “We were very
excited about the script we wrote. Malek Akkad was very excited about
the script we wrote. We loved Malek and we’d love to make the movie with
him, but that’s up to the grown-ups who are above our pay grade, so who
knows. I am frequently surprised by whatever happens next.” With The
Weinstein’s newly renewed interest in sequels and reboots (They’ve
everything from “Scream 4” to a “Spy Kids 4” coming out this year), I’d
expect them to put the blade back in Michael Myers’ hand sometime
soonish. Just once in the life of this franchise I’d love to see this on
a poster : ‘Mike Myers IS Michael Myers’.
10. The Lost Boys 4
Whether you think they’ve got bite or think they suck, those
small-screen debuting “Lost Boys” sequels (“The Tribe”, “The Thirst”)
have done well for Warner Premiere – very well. The previous films
haven’t cost a lot but with a built-in audience and more so, vampires
being all the rage again, the movies have flown off the shelf. Of course
there’s gonna be another! I’ve already heard a few rumors in regards to
the potential storyline of the inevitable fourth “Boys” but for now
let’s say the only sure thing is a Corey Feldman (as Edgar Frog) reprise
– the man is “Lost Boys”.
