More retro films, sequels on the way
Yeah okay, y’all are still talking about Barbarella, aren’t you? Sorry, the original had some cute ideas but gah, was it sexist! Talk to me when she’s properly dressed and Simon LeBon’s cast as Duran Duran.
Now here’s what I’m craving — a bit of the ol’ Get Smart. USA today has a blurb about the in-production movie (set to open in late June) based on the old TV show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. Andy Dick is nowhere in sight, thank goodness, but I love the casting they do mention — Steve Carell should make an ideal Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway has the potential to succeed Barbara Feldon as a smart and funny Agent 99, and Alan Arkin as The Chief is just too perfect. Some of the other cast members sound like they’d fit right in as well. I know I’m pretty psyched for Masi Oka’s big-screen debut! (Did you know Steve Ditko drew Dell’s Get Smart comic book?) Let’s hope the indicated trouble in paradise is just a rumor.
Meanwhile, all is not well with the casting of Mummy 3 — The Inevitable, as our esteemed Mike Gold refers to it. Seems Brandon Fraser is in, but Rachel Weisz is out, leading to speculation that she’s definitely doing Sin City 2 — This Time It’s Even More Personal (my subtitle). I haven’t seen the Mummy flicks in awhile, but how integral was Weisz’s character in them? I seem to recall as she was pretty much "love interest/accessory" rather than, you know, an Agent 99 type.
And Harry Knowles is swearing up and down that Shia LeBeouf has been cast in the fourth Indiana Jones movie as Indy’s son, which only interests me insofar as he has one of the more fun names to say and type. And elsewhere on Ain’t It Cool News, Quint reports that Christina Ricci has been cast as Trixie in the upcoming Speed Racer movie. With John Goodman and Susan Sarandon all set to play Speed’s parents, which amazingly means that Speed’s mom is bound to get actual screen time.