Why New Line bumped "Pride and Glory"

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It was announced during Sundance that Pride and Glory, the Ed Norton-Colin Farrell cop drama that's been more or less done since last November, had been bumped by New Line into '09.

Colin Farrell, Ed Norton in Gavin O'Connor's Pride and Glory.

You can tell from the trailer that Pride and Glory is a little boiler-platey, perhaps a little too emphatic and histrionic. My general motto is that any New Line film that costars Noah Emmerich (brother of production chief Tobey Emmerich) is a potential problem. But there doesn't seem to be anything to fear from director Gavin O'Connor, who did a first-rate job with '04's Miracle.

How bad does a film have to be to bump it all the way into '09? The postponement feels extreme and bizarre. Yesterday Farrell cleared up the mystery with journalists at an In Bruges junket. The problem with Pride and Glory isn't Pride and Glory, he said, as much as Nicole Kidman and The Golden Compass.

"There's this rumor going around that [Pride and Glory has been bumped] because it's a mess or it's a really bad film," he began. "I feel the need to kind of speak up, not from my own end but genuinely for Gavin O'Connor because he wrote and directed it. It's just a really really strong piece, but I think New Line lost the bollocks on The Golden Compass...and they literally don't have enough money to market things.

"Pride is a tricky one to market anyways. It's pretty dark...I've seen it. Gavin did a great job and you know, Jon Voight is brilliant in it, and Ed [Norton] is great in it and a really strong cast of supporting characters...it's a really strong piece."

The main thing is that it's got Farrell playing another downward-spiral character beset by demons. In my book Farrell is an actor reborn, having found his kwan over the last ear or so by getting under the skin of a pair of anxious, emotionally disshevelled losers in Cassandra's Dream and In Bruges.

comment #1

BlueBomm says ...

I saw a test screening of this in October of '06, and it was clear that the movie was pretty rotten by most any standard. Still not sure I understand holding off for two and a half years, though.

comment #2

vansmith says ...

with the colin and ed it should have come out alot sooner. saw the trailer and its sort of like we own the night with walberg and phoenix, good cop bad cop, moral agnst and shootouts.. they put voight in the robert duvall role..

comment #3

actionman says ...

I have said it before and I will say it again...Farrell has done more good work (and sometimes great) than bad. His performances in Tigerland, Hart's War, Phone Booth, The Recruit, and Daredevil (yes, the movie is shit, but he was a blast) were all intense and focused and persuasive.

His work in Intermission and A Home at the End of the World was personal and dark and again--focused and intense.

He gave a passionate performance in Alexander but in the end, he was mis-cast; he didn't have the physicality for the role but he gave it his all. And there were moments of greatness in there, both in his work, and in the film itself.

He was even an acceptable action hero in SWAT.

Then, an amazing run with The New World, Ask the Dust, and Miami Vice; those are three completely different and very distinct pieces of acting, all of which are stunningly underrated, both performance wise, and as films overall.

I haven't seen Cassandra's Dream yet but I'm very much looking forward to it. And I can't wait to see In Bruges.

As far as Pride and Glory, I agree, Noah Emmerich is questionable at times, but with Norton AND Farrell as Irish NYC cops...well...that sells me right there. Gavin O'Connor did do an excellent job with Miracle so I am betting the postponement has more to do with New Line than it does with the quality of Pride and Glory.

It'll probably be another We Own the Night situation probably, which won't be a bad thing. That was a terrific cop flick.

comment #4

Mark says ...

Maybe they want to wait until after The Hulk to further boost Norton's profile. (Like when they held MJ Fox's Teenwolf until after Back to the Future opened.) Despite The Illusionist making a profit, Norton has been under the radar for years.

Don't quite understand the smear re Noah. His resume is quite good.

comment #5

JeffGP says ...

In other news I saw John Madden's "Killshot" (Boom!), back in April of '06. One of the worst movies I've ever seen. I hope it never gets released. Madden should stick to football.

I also saw Steve Conrad's "Quebec", not called "The Promotion" about a year ago, and there's no date on that either. Though, that picture's actually quite good, but will clearly make zero dollars.

comment #6

Pelham123 says ...

Farrell is great in "Cassandra's Dream".

comment #7

JeffGP says ...

That is "now" called "The Promotion."

comment #8

MickTravis says ...

"My general motto is that any New Line film that costars Noah Emmerich (brother of production chief Tobey Emmerich) is a potential problem."

Yeah, sure there's "Cellular," but also "Little Children" and "Frequency," both of which were great. OK, "Frequency" was cheese, but it was damn tasty cheese.

comment #9

Bilge says ...

I'll second or third or whatever the praise for Farrell. He's great in THE NEW WORLD and MIAMI VICE and any number of terrific and not-so-terrific films.

The problem with him is actually similar to the problem Heath Ledger had. When he first arrived, Hollywood had a Plan for him: Turning him into a mega-million dollar superstar leading man/action hero. And it's clear that Farrell is better at doing stuff that's a bit more risky and strange. By freeing himself of such box office expectations, he can now have this current "rebirth," the same way Ledger was able to once it became clear that he wasn't going to become the next Mel Gibson.

comment #10

actionman says ...

Bilge--spot on.

comment #11

Breedlove says ...

Did anybody else notice Noah Emmerich in Jim Carrey's box at the Super Bowl?

I've defended Colin Farrell before. Actionman is on the money as usual, which is why I love him so. He's already been in at least three masterpieces in Minority Report, The New World and Miami Vice. I thought he was electrifying in the latter and should have gotten a Best Actor nom. He seems to have good taste, he's a good actor, and I for one would be more than happy to see him and Ed Norton in a NYC cop movie.

And Bilge is right on as well. These young guys get annointed as the Next Big Thing way too quickly, when they are too young and inexperienced. They usually sort of fail and struggle for a while and then build themselves back up to what it is they are supposed to be. I wonder where Orlando Bloom goes from here.

comment #12

MickTravis says ...

I like Farrell. And I liked "Miami Vice." But I thought he was pretty bad in that. He's like my one main gripe about that movie, he just didn't convince me.

Oddly enough -- and this was way before last week -- I used to theorize it would've been better if a) Jamie Foxx had been the main character or b) Heath Ledger had played Crockett.

comment #13

lesterg says ...

What exactly happened with Ed Norton?

Excluding The Illusionist, he's had a pretty terrible decade. Did that whole Italian Job thing sour the studios on him?

comment #14

berg says ...

LITTLE CHILDREN is the best film New Line has released this decade and Noah Emmerich is in it ... of course this from the guy who likes The Last Mimsy

comment #15

actionman says ...

Wow, Orlando Bloom has NOTHING listed at the IMDB for 2008 and beyond...

comment #16

scooterzz says ...

while all of the performances in 'in bruges' are pretty wonderful, farrell is a real stand-out....
i'm hoping this film doesn't get lost in the feb. crap fest......

comment #17

Breedlove says ...

Hayden Christianson has a big weekend coming up that should have a lot to say about his career...I don't get the Edward Norton thing either. I thought he was gonna be the next Sean Penn, Dustin Hoffman type who would be nominated for an Oscar every 3 years...he has had a wierd career.

P.S. Random aside, I wonder who the poor bastards are who got fired from the lead in Jumpers and Dano's part in TWBB...can you imagine getting your breakthrough shot like that but then getting fired? it's like winning the lottery and then they take the money back. Must be agony.

comment #18

erniesouchak says ...

It's obvious New Line has been foundering for some time.

comment #19

actionman says ...

Kel O'Neill was fired off TWBB (he was Francis in Domino):

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0642221/

Tom Sturridge was the original lead in Jumper:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0642221/

comment #20

Jack Price says ...

The specifics behind Kel O'Neill's firing from TWBB has been kept shrouded for quite some time, and it doesn't seem like the truth behind it will come out anytime soon. Back when Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Anderson were on the Charlie Rose show, this point was nearly brought up but quickly sidestepped.

I remember hearing that it stemmed around unreasonable financial demands moreso than anything else, but supposedly the stuff shot with him (including the "exorcism" scene) was incendiary and far more intense than what Paul Dano ended up coming up with. Not to knock Dano, as I think he did better-than-fine work, but you can tell just from Neill's physicality that the standoff between Sunday and Plainview would have been even more eye-to-eye.

comment #21

Jack Price says ...

Of course, until any of us see the actual outtakes, which I don't expect ever to happen, it's all conjecture and hearsay at this point.

comment #22

Breedlove says ...

Interesting...Paul Dano was just ok in the role, I would say. It certainly didn't seem like an even match up...but how could a completely unknown actor get the only other juicy part in a Daniel Day Lewis/Paul Thomas Anderson movie and make financial demands? That doesn't make any sense...any unknown, and lots of knowns, would probably do the movie for free. Wasn't the rumor that it had to do with the whole DDL method thing off camera, maybe he got freaked or there was even a fight or something...I don't know.

comment #23

BurmaShave says ...

Maybe Noah Emmerich is the reason for Wells' inexplicable and bizzare hatred for THE TRUMAN SHOW.

comment #24

BurmaShave says ...

Maybe Noah Emmerich is the reason for Wells' inexplicable and bizzare hatred for THE TRUMAN SHOW.

comment #25

T. S. Idiot says ...

"Paul Dano was just ok in the role." He's good when he has dialogue. When he doesn't, he squints and purses his lips. I found these mannerisms the only weaknesses in the film. Why has so little attention been paid to Kevin J. O'Connor's excellent work? I have never cared for him elsewhere, but he's terrific in Blood.

comment #26

Mr. Gittes says ...

" but supposedly the stuff shot with him (including the "exorcism" scene) was incendiary and far more intense than what Paul Dano ended up coming up with."

Supposedly? How do you know this, Jack Price?

There's a big difference between Colin Farrell and Orlando Bloom. I'm curious about an upcoming Farrell project. Bloom not so much.

comment #27

jeffmcm says ...

Allow me to speak up a one of the people who thought Little Children was mediocre at best, with a terrible Haggis-esque ending.

comment #28

Jack Price says ...

Where did I get this info you ask?

Uh... ahem.... what's the best way to put this...

... OK fine, fuck it. It was on the imdb messageboards. You called me out Mr. Gites, fair and square. It's more than likely utter shit.

The truth is I DON'T know for sure, at all. The only reason why I bring this up now is because a couple of purported extras from that scene (the original and the reshoot) posted there to attest to the rumors of the actor's replacement. The comments have since been taken down (or at least I can't find them there any longer), but that was the first time I had heard anything about the actor being replaced. Before then, all I knew was Eli Sunday was being played by some actor who was previously in XX/XY. And there was something related to egotistical demands by his agent/himself that lead to his firing.

Now I have to ask, but where else did people find out about the actor replacement? I swear, IMDB was the only place I had heard anything about it before... I'll post here again once I find out more.

comment #29

Jay T. says ...

I thought Paul Dano did an excellent job in TWBB... I don't think his character going more eye-to-eye with Plainview would have been a good thing at all.

comment #30

hiviper says ...

there's something about that cocky Dublin motherfucker that's disappointed me every time, yet I'd like to see him do well. Be it poor choices or what, I haven't really been taken aback since Minority Report.

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