Yeah, and how will they be respectful to the Highlander legend? Start well with an interesting premise, then shit all over it in a succession of increasingly crap sequels, because that is the Highlander that I know!
Movies: 1135
Comments: 67725
Members: 718
Online: 0 Guests: 244
Highlander gets Fast and Furious
Posted by Patrick Sauriol on Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Justin Lin, director of the last two Fast and Furious movies, has signed to direct Summit Entertainment's remake of Highlander. No, it doesn't sound like there will be any souped-up race cars in it, just immortals chopping off each others' heads (but wearing custom race track suits?)
Lin will direct from a screenplay by original Iron Man scribes Art mancum and Matt Holloway. Peter Davis, producer of the original 1986 Highlander and its subsequent sequels, will also produce the new movie along with Fast & Furious franchise producer Neal H. Moritz.
"We are privileged to have this amazing opportunity to reinvent one of the great franchises," said Patrick Wachsberger, co-chairman of Summit Entertainment. "Neal and Justin have proven more than once that they can deliver an entertaining and exciting blockbuster."
"Justin and Neal are an exciting directing/producing team and I am confident that they will deliver a truly dynamic film while being totally respectful of Highlander legend," added Peter Davis.
In Summit's press release announcing Lin and Moritz's involvement the studio offers a logline of the remake: "After centuries of dueling to survive against others like him, Connor MacLeod, an immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his kind, a murderously brutal barbarian, who lusts for the fabled Prize." Doesn't sound like the film's makers are planning to stray too far from the original's premise.
Read a really down review of the Highlander remake's screenplay.
I think if they want a decent remake (and for the record, its a terrible idea) first they actually have to explain WHAT this "prize" is for taking the life (beheading) of the 2nd to the last Highlander (no guns, please) make it painfully clear what it is that the final highlander is going to get once all the other Immortals are dead.
Highlander II really mucked things up with the version of the future and what the prize was and what it was not... and then highlander III drove a stake into everything that had been established prior when they ignored highlander II and yet "found" some long lost immortals to battle Connor. Highlander 4 was a joke.. and ..need I go on?
They cannot just simply say "they are going for The Prize", This is too important to just be dusted over and not properly explained, obviously they wont be immortal anymore.. and perhaps the gift is tht they can have children, a wife and a family now?
second, the inevidable sequel(s) should NOT follow the same plot as the first movie (what I'm saying is that there wont be anymore Highlanders popping up from other planets or other dementions, or trapped in a sealed room for many centuries or some cheap plot device that repopulates the world with a second round of immortal highlanders for our hero to get sucked into another game of THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE...because you know... there CAN be only one... right?
thats principally where producer William N. Panzer fucked up the last time,, simply restocking the planet with more highlanders again and again just AINT gonna cut it this time dude.
third: for the love of God, get yourself a decent villan... I mean seriously Kurgan was F**ing cool because of Clancy Brown and even though we all love him, Michael Ironside IS TOO MUCH of a sci/fi cliché bad guy.. he could never be taken seriously and I was really surprised he turned up breifly in Terminator 4.
Ever since the casting error of Michal Ironside and Mario Van Peebles, the villans have all totally sucked... and I mean ALL sucked... HARD.
I hope they use more CGI! In fact, I want a character that is made from NOTHING BUT CGI.
Jar Jar McCloud.
First American Werewolf in London, now this. What are "Movies that don't need to be remade" for $800, Alex?
mckracken
Location:
Posts: 965
Posted: 15 years 11 weeks ago
well correction, its NOT a "great franchise" its a GREAT MOVIE (IE singular HIGHLANDER is a GREAT MOVIE!) ALL the sequels totally blew.
I had mixed feelings about the TV show because 1) I had a huge problem with the series NOT being set in 1985 (after the events of the first movie)
2) I also had a huge problem with them replacing Connor with Duncan McCloud.
Adrian Paul is no highlander, in my opinion.