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Post by MortimerWest on May 17, 2009 3:47:04 GMT -5
Okay, this is only a rumor - but it came from a reliable source - very reliable. Cannell and Co have the new script at Fox - and supposedly are in negotiations with.... get ready for it.... ready....? Ashton Kutcher to play Ralph (or whoever) and wear the suit.  |
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Post by mmderdekea on May 17, 2009 8:29:36 GMT -5
Hello, MW, Thanks for spreading the reliable rumor! When you wrote "Ralph (or whoever)" did you mean there is another rumor that they might change the name of Ralph's character? As for Ashton Kutcher...yeah, not too thrilled with him, but I like how they are going after a youth-oriented "star"; means that they really want a successful movie and not something, say, straight to DVD. Any idea on who they are perhaps in negotiation about for Bill Maxwell?  Mona |
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Post by HoudiniDerek on May 17, 2009 10:13:23 GMT -5
Nothing like another disaster. Too many old shows are ruined by this approach. *Sigh*
I will cross my fingers and wait for it to hopefully fail. ;D
Thanks, Mortimer, for the update.
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Post by MortimerWest on May 17, 2009 18:27:37 GMT -5
When you wrote "Ralph (or whoever)" did you mean there is another rumor that they might change the name of Ralph's character? Any idea on who they are perhaps in negotiation about for Bill Maxwell? Mona Mona - In my script the new guy was named Charlie. I had mine set up that Heroine did happen - because Steven, I knew, was a fan of what he tried to do, and after Holly came Vincent (the bad guy) and then Charlie. Vincent refers to Ralph in dialogue and we overhear that William Maxwell is the head of the FBI. No idea on Maxwell - but I will keep you posted. |
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Post by mmderdekea on May 17, 2009 19:20:11 GMT -5
WOW! Bill is the HEAD of the FBI!? EXCELLENT! Great script, MW! It's about time that loyal, patriotic and competent Fed got some respect!  Mona |
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Post by MortimerWest on May 17, 2009 21:24:20 GMT -5
Thank You Mona -
For the record - I would love to see Dennis Quad step into the role as Maxwell. I think he would be terrific.
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Post by MelMac on May 17, 2009 23:04:02 GMT -5
Rumors - even from a reliable source - aren't necessarily reliable. While I trust Mortimer's information, he even says it's a rumor. (Plus, unless things have changed, and I know he can't confirm or deny this if his is actually in the works - His script was actually turned down in favor of "Sky High" when it was made and I do not think it's been looked at since).  There's plenty of bait and switches/rumors/misdirection done for these things in order to keep the casting a secret. There have also been PLENTY of rumors of filming to begin on other SJC projects - unless it's been hindered again, I just don't see them starting "GAH" before "A-Team," which had been confirmed they're in the process of pre-production. Another great example is the casting of Matt Smith, the new Doctor who will appear in 2011 (bold, lime green my emphasis): ... the secret preparations that led to the announcement of Matt Smith's casting as the Eleventh Doctor in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential last Saturday. The feature reveals that the process was entirely conducted via verbal conversations, with no written record left in e-mail form and as few people as possible made aware of the casting decision.
The special edition of Confidential was organised at a secret meeting in December between executive producer Piers Wenger, BBC One controller Jay Hunt, BBC Controller of Fiction Jane Tranter and Head of Scheduling George Dixon, after Smith had been offered the role but before he had officially signed up to play it. On the day that he did sign a contract, Smith was secretly interviewed by a two-man Doctor Who Confidential crew, and then on Christmas Eve took part in a photoshoot in the basement of BBC Television Centre in London. Neither the photographer nor the stylist involved knew what the shoot was for, with the TARDIS later being photoshopped into the background of the pictures. [/color][/i] (Source: ) www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/searchnews.pl?dosearch&searchquery=Matt%20Smith&match=exact&linkcompression=10&resultnumber=10&highlight=on&skipnumber=30I guess what I"m saying is I'm very skeptical about this even with Mortimer's more reliable sources. (Plus, thank you for sharing this current speculation Mortimer ). It's not the first time they've said there was a casting rumor or that a company was in production of "Greatest American Hero." The one plus - it does at least open it up for discussion here - and if SJC reads this or the companies do, they might realize that this isn't a good idea and try again. I'd rather "GAH" done right than rushed - "The Wild Wild West" is such a clear example of that. Gorgeous sets, music and costuming - very poor casting save all the women roles IMHO. |
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Post by Lauren on May 17, 2009 23:24:09 GMT -5
Re: Ashton Kutcher possibility...
*repeatedly slams head into wall*
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Post by MortimerWest on May 18, 2009 5:00:53 GMT -5
You should take rumors as such no matter who they are from so I understand your position. And I will say Hero has much more immediate priority over A-Team, simply because studios and producers know that comic book movies make money right now, who knows what will next week. I know 3 people working on A- Team and believe me, it's nowhere near pre-production - maybe pre-pre-pre-production. You are right on the script - mine is not the one they are using. There is a new one out there that was written with more of a "Jack Black" humor tone than mine was. To me the humor came from the situation, not from a comedic persona. The biggest difference is mine was a sort of continuation (Ralph and Bill were the guys who did the job in the 80's) where as this one is A REBOOT. I only hope they don't mess up my love for the show - Star Trek almost did that to me this weekend. Yes, I hated it. Rumors - even from a reliable source - aren't necessarily reliable. While I trust Mortimer's information, he even says it's a rumor. (Plus, unless things have changed, and I know he can't confirm or deny this if his is actually in the works - His script was actually turned down in favor of "Sky High" when it was made and I do not think it's been looked at since). There's plenty of bait and switches/rumors/misdirection done for these things in order to keep the casting a secret. There have also been PLENTY of rumors of filming to begin on other SJC projects - unless it's been hindered again, I just don't see them starting "GAH" before "A-Team," which had been confirmed they're in the process of pre-production. Another great example is the casting of Matt Smith, the new Doctor who will appear in 2011 (bold, lime green my emphasis): ... the secret preparations that led to the announcement of Matt Smith's casting as the Eleventh Doctor in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential last Saturday. The feature reveals that the process was entirely conducted via verbal conversations, with no written record left in e-mail form and as few people as possible made aware of the casting decision.
The special edition of Confidential was organised at a secret meeting in December between executive producer Piers Wenger, BBC One controller Jay Hunt, BBC Controller of Fiction Jane Tranter and Head of Scheduling George Dixon, after Smith had been offered the role but before he had officially signed up to play it. On the day that he did sign a contract, Smith was secretly interviewed by a two-man Doctor Who Confidential crew, and then on Christmas Eve took part in a photoshoot in the basement of BBC Television Centre in London. Neither the photographer nor the stylist involved knew what the shoot was for, with the TARDIS later being photoshopped into the background of the pictures. [/color][/i] (Source: ) www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/searchnews.pl?dosearch&searchquery=Matt%20Smith&match=exact&linkcompression=10&resultnumber=10&highlight=on&skipnumber=30I guess what I"m saying is I'm very skeptical about this even with Mortimer's more reliable sources. (Plus, thank you for sharing this current speculation Mortimer ). It's not the first time they've said there was a casting rumor or that a company was in production of "Greatest American Hero." The one plus - it does at least open it up for discussion here - and if SJC reads this or the companies do, they might realize that this isn't a good idea and try again. I'd rather "GAH" done right than rushed - "The Wild Wild West" is such a clear example of that. Gorgeous sets, music and costuming - very poor casting save all the women roles IMHO. [/quote] |
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Post by MelMac on May 18, 2009 7:44:13 GMT -5
You should take rumors as such no matter who they are from so I understand your position. And I will say Hero has much more immediate priority over A-Team, simply because studios and producers know that comic book movies make money right now, who knows what will next week. I know 3 people working on A- Team and believe me, it's nowhere near pre-production - maybe pre-pre-pre-production. You are right on the script - mine is not the one they are using. There is a new one out there that was written with more of a "Jack Black" humor tone than mine was. To me the humor came from the situation, not from a comedic persona. The biggest difference is mine was a sort of continuation (Ralph and Bill were the guys who did the job in the 80's) where as this one is A REBOOT. I only hope they don't mess up my love for the show - Star Trek almost did that to me this weekend. Yes, I hated it. Oh dear - I was never enamored by any of Jack Black's comedies, so that is troublesome. The show's humor came from the interaction of the characters, not the scenario around them - one thing I"ve noticed too about Kutcher movies. While I know the comics are a reboot of the pilot plus an additional story, they still keep a lot of the original idea intact. Putting in a comedic actor to me reads that it's going to be slapstick - something that SJC, Katt and Culp hated when they did that a lot in the last half of the second season and all of the third. I'm hoping this rumor is false or it falls through, if only because I feel that Kutcher would kill the show similar to the casting of "WWW" was. Owen could do the balance of humor between comedy and drama (and I do feel he can do it - not easily, but at least passible) over someone who's straight comedy, which Kutcher is IMHO. |
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Post by MST3Claye on May 18, 2009 11:07:13 GMT -5
I'm not big on Jack Black as well and was concerned with the remake for King Kong. I did see it and Jack Black was actually good in it. Though, as far as him being Ralph I dunno. I see him more as Bill than Ralph if anything.
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Post by mmderdekea on May 18, 2009 11:20:42 GMT -5
So, Ashton Kutcher doing Jack Black humor....as Ralph? Someone slap Cannell on the face and tell him to get himself under control!  Mona |
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Post by MelMac on May 18, 2009 13:04:56 GMT -5
I guess the one good thing is that if history has a tendency to repeat itself with the movie, "GAH" will be put back on the backburner and this won't happen. But, if they do go through with it and do cast Kutcher, I hope they cast strong roles for Bill and Pam that compliment the character and make it work. And, there is one other thing to consider, based on Mortimer's rumor - Kutcher might not be playing Ralph. For all we know he could be the bad guy or Ray at the school. But, then again - they'd probably want him to play a principle, so he'd be either Ralph or Bill. That said, both would be weak with him playing it it IMHO given both are complex characters (or at least complex compared to his current range of acting in my opinion). |
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Post by MortimerWest on May 18, 2009 14:10:47 GMT -5
No No. They would never cast Ashton in a movie like this and not put him in the lead. The dream of him playing a background character is silly. If he is cast - he is the guy in the suit.
Also - I never meant to imply that Jack Black was being cast in the movie - only that the tone they are going for is very childish -- if you are a fan of the way movies used to be made - you won't like it. If you like stuff like Transformers and consider it to be good writing, you may have a good time.
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Post by MelMac on May 18, 2009 14:59:48 GMT -5
No No. They would never cast Ashton in a movie like this and not put him in the lead. The dream of him playing a background character is silly. If he is cast - he is the guy in the suit. Also - I never meant to imply that Jack Black was being cast in the movie - only that the tone they are going for is very childish -- if you are a fan of the way movies used to be made - you won't like it. If you like stuff like Transformers and consider it to be good writing, you may have a good time. Fortunately I guess right now it's the IF and not he is. Only time will tell if he is cast. Now, I'll admit he could pull a Catherine Tate or Billie Piper in "Doctor Who" and actually defy expectations and do well. By this, I mean prior to "Who" Tate was seen as a one note comedian and Piper a pop start and both became immensely popular in the series. All that said, one thing I have noticed in a lot of up and coming American actors (particularly TV actors) is that they tend to stay in one particular character that rarely changes unless they're an extreme persona (good or bad). I've seen some exceptions, but there aren't many. |
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Post by Videofox on May 18, 2009 16:00:02 GMT -5
I have learned not to go "ugh" at questionable casting choices because I have been surprised in the past, but frankly, I'm mostly just sick of hearing about Kutcher. Anyone wonder where his career might be if he hadn't ended up with... oh, what's her name... umm... oh yeah, Mrs. Bruce Willis?  Anyhoo, whomever plays Ralph shouldn't be known for comedy. He was the proverbial "straight man" given a ridiculous suit and put in a ridiculous situation. That's where the best comedy came from. When Leslie Nielsen did "Airplane!" he had a career as a serious actor up until that point, which to me made it more hilarious, especially since he was playing his "Airplane!" character pretty straight despite the ridiculous lines. He's a genius. I don't see that from Kutcher, sorry. Sorry you didn't like Star Trek, Mortimer. I know it had problems, but it at least did one thing right: it respected the original history while at the same time re-writing it for a new generation. ***POSSIBLE SPOILER*** The older Spock remembers V'Ger, Khan, dying and returning, saving the whales, and brokering peace with the Klingons and Romulans, although the "new" Spock most likely won't have those same experiences now. Those who don't like the new Trek don't have to give up their old one either, since it canonically did happen in another reality. Kudos for the producers in their effort to preserve old Trek. I just hold out hope that any new incarnation of GAH would respect it's source material as much. That's why I prefer a sequel series to a reboot. Hollywood will end up dumbing down Ralph, Bill and Pam from what they were before to appease what they believe to be the average intelligence level of today's moviegoers (and yes, even Star Trek had some of that). I would rather there not be a new GAH at all, if that's the way it has to be. So if it does have to be, then give me an unknown for Ralph and Bruce Campbell for Maxwell, and I'll give it a look-see. |
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Post by MelMac on May 18, 2009 16:21:45 GMT -5
You hit a very good point there Vid about Ralph being a straight man type. Some of the funniest comedians are those who had odd situations and dialogue but spoke them as the honest truth. Leslie Nielsen is a great example of this type of comedy, as is Dean Martin. It's also the type of humor you see where one is not trying to be funny but is, such as some of the older slap stick comedy of the silent movie days. Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd in particular are reminiscent of this comedy. Lloyd is also well-known for getting himself into trouble - and in situations you'd see Ralph possibly in, such as hanging off the edge of a clock that's starting to fall out of its setting.
Ralph is a character that fits more of a straight man actor - and Katt did quite well in that type of role. A lot of comedians nowadays resort to gross humor, sexual innuendo and sight gags to complete the joke. That's not what this show is - it's a lot more serious and even if it had to be "dumbed down" a bit, one can do that and it not resort to this type of humor. In fact, one of the biggest laughs I got was when Carlisle shot at Ralph and the bullet bounced around and then landed on the ground. Carlisle is horrified at what happened... Ralph has this look of "OK, have you've had your fun trying to shoot me in this ... thing?"
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Post by HoudiniDerek on May 18, 2009 19:49:38 GMT -5
I think Zachary Levi could play a convincing Ralph. I would be interested to see how this goes...so rumors or not, keep us updated, Mortimer. ;D If those guys you know working on the A-TEAM need help, tell them to contact me. |
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PDavidson1981
Agent
I'd fly, but I haven't quite got the hang of it...
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Post by PDavidson1981 on Jun 2, 2009 1:37:01 GMT -5
Ralph is a character that fits more of a straight man actor - and Katt did quite well in that type of role. A lot of comedians nowadays resort to gross humor, sexual innuendo and sight gags to complete the joke. That's not what this show is - it's a lot more serious and even if it had to be "dumbed down" a bit, one can do that and it not resort to this type of humor. In fact, one of the biggest laughs I got was when Carlisle shot at Ralph and the bullet bounced around and then landed on the ground. Carlisle is horrified at what happened... Ralph has this look of "OK, have you've had your fun trying to shoot me in this ... thing?" That area highlighted in red sums up my feelings as well. A GAH movie can be funny, dramatic, and action-packed - and above all, it can and should cater to a modern audience. It shouldn't have, for example, Ralph or Bill making dirty jokes regarding Pam. |
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Post by billswoman on Jun 2, 2009 13:10:07 GMT -5
Re: Ashton Kutcher possibility... *repeatedly slams head into wall* As long as it's not Owen Wilson. I still vote Richard Dean Anderson or Tommy Lee Jones as Maxwell, but Dennis Quaid... I could see it. |
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"FOUR?!"
