comment #1

Geoff says ...

I've always loved how Ridley is never shy about showing brutality. ALIEN obviously confirmed this years ago. But BLACK HAWK DOWN always comes to my mind...the scene where they try to clamp the artery.

comment #2

Roman says ...

David Mamet called.... ah nevermind.

comment #3

insidah says ...

DiCaprio continues to look like a boy playing a man.

comment #4

jse33 says ...

DiCaprio continues to look like a boy playing a man.

Posted by insidah at June 4, 2008 12:16 PM

And continues to show he's one of the best actors working today, if not the best.

comment #5

Roman says ...

Wait, Scott doing another Sci-fi... That's very promising.

comment #6

rgmax99 says ...

Russell Crowe as Robin Hood -- zero interest.

Ridley Scott doing Blood Meridian -- fanatical interest.

comment #7

actionman says ...

This movie will be hard-core. I can feel it.

comment #8

p.Vice says ...

I don't understand the haggling over "body" vs. "house". The problem here is the "lies" part, which should, given Scott's involvement, be immediately changed to "shit".

comment #9

actionman says ...

You never cease to make me laugh, p.Vice.

I'd love to see one of the movies you've made. I'm sure whatever you have done is better than Black Hawk Down and Gladiator and Alien and Bladerunner.

comment #10

High Chaparral says ...

Any guesses on what the book is?

Body Of Lies sounded like a sequel to Body Of Evidence. Not surprised they changed it.

comment #11

D.Z. says ...

Ooo, Leo dyed his hair black like Seth Green in Knockaround Guys, which means you know he's serious.

jse: "And continues to show he's one of the best actors working today, if not the best."

Replace Leo with Depp and/or Bale, and I'll agree.

comment #12

Overstreet says ...

I think it's very likely that Ridley Scott's sci-fi project is "Brave New World," as the LA Times reported back in March that he and DiCaprio were taking on that project.

Story here:

http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-bk-reynolds16mar16,0,354337.story

comment #13

Rich S. says ...

What Ridley's done so far does not even begin to describe where he's going to have to go with Blood Meridian. He's right. It's so unrelentingly nasty that if it's done right, it's going to be very hard for it to find its audience. I don't care a whit, though. I can't wait to see it.

As to Blade Runner and Alien, Ridley was extremely fortunate in his selection of art directors/production designers. I hope he hits a home run again with this new sci-fi flick.

comment #14

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

Rich S. - "What Ridley's done so far does not even begin to describe where he's going to have to go with Blood Meridian. He's right. It's so unrelentingly nasty that if it's done right, it's going to be very hard for it to find its audience. I don't care a whit, though. I can't wait to see it."

It is an impossible novel to adapt into a film.

And there is no reason to do so.

Let it stand as a the great novel.

comment #15

Rich S. says ...

Jeffrey, I would actually agree. But that's never stopped them before. Assuming it does go forward, who plays the Judge? Tommy Lee Jones was interested in it at one time, but he's too old. Who has the kind of oversized personality to make it work? It truly is a Patton-level role.

comment #16

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

David Morse would be my number 1 choice. Shave the head, make him gain 80 pounds and give him a really big pair of boots.

Other choices: John Malcovich plus 100 pounds, Liam Neeson, Tom Noonan.

I'd also say Ron Pearlman and Vincent D'Nofrio but they don't seem intellectual enough.

Of course, no living human being could ever actually portray the Judge like the book does. He is a character that defines literature as an artful to such an extent it is impossible to replicate.

If I had to choose a director, I'd want Werner Herzog.

This would never happen though and the studio would probably get Shia LaBeouf to play the role of The Kid.

comment #17

Alan Cerny says ...

The other day I was looking through my Blu-Rays and DVDs for some comfort food to watch. I started pulling out movies by the title, not really paying attention to the director or who was in it, just going by the titles. When I was finished I had pulled out ALIEN, BLADE RUNNER, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Director's Cut, AMERICAN GANGSTER, BLACK HAWK DOWN, and the only non-Ridley film in the bunch was L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. I didn't even realize how much joy I've gotten from Ridley Scott's films through the years.

Add to the fact that he's helping out a friend of mine at next week's BLADE RUNNER screening... yeah, I hope he keeps making films for the rest of his life.

comment #18

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

My number 1 pick would be David Morse. Shave that head, make him gain 80 pounds, and give him a really big pair of boots.

Other choices: John Malcovich plus 100 pounds, Liam Neeson, Tom Noonan.

I'd say Ron Pearlman and Vincent D'nofrio as well but they don't really have that intellectual edge needed.

Of course, no living human alive could truly capture the Judge. He is the type of character that defines literature as an artful to such an extent it is impossible to replicate on the silver screen.

And if I had a choice of director, I'd be Werner Herzog.

But that would never happen and the studio would probably get Shia LaBeouf to play The Kid.......

comment #19

BurmaShave says ...

I would love to see the Russell Crowe that played Hando make a return as the Judge. I want him to do it so well it ruins his career.

comment #20

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

Goddamnit sorry for the double post.

comment #21

JohnCope says ...

rgmax99..."Ridley Scott doing Blood Meridian -- fanatical interest."

Why? You actually think Ridley Scott is the person to adapt this book? Give me a break.

Maybe 20 years ago when I was an ardent Ridley apologist I might have agreed with you. The Ridley of The Duelists still had an understanding of the kind of mythic sweep necessary here but that was 30 years ago...

comment #22

Undercover Brother says ...

I think the quality of Scott's output over the past decade has ranged from lazy (Good Year) to mostly decent (Gangster) to occasionally great (KOH:DC). But what I find to be completely amazing, besides the range of work, is the speed at which this guy is doing it. We live in a movie age where top shelf directors putting out one movie every three years is about par for the course. In the case of some guys, Lurhmann, Jonze, Fincher, they can take up to 5 years or more to complete a project. Where are your wild things indeed Mr. Jonze? Scott's next film will be his 8th of the decade, EIGHT! 4 of those epic sized pictures in terms of scope and content, and he'll finish one more before the decade's out. The guy has a work ethic that must cross over into obsessiveness. I think his younger contemporaries should hang out with the guy, when he's not working, and take some notes. I'd have liked 5 or 6 films from Fincher before the decade was out. We got 3.

comment #23

theprisoner6 says ...

Undercover Brother -- I suspect Ridley's prolific output of late is solely due to his age. I think he's 70 and he has to be counting the number of films left in his career on one hand. That probably scared him into increasing his tempo. Same thing seems to be happening with Spielberg. Sydney Pollack dying probably goosed both of them even more.

comment #24

Rothchild says ...

Nottingham is very clever. Don't write it off yet. The Sheriff of Nottingham is the hero in this one. Robin Hood is the villain.

comment #25

EOTW says ...

I think I need to read "Blood Meridian."

comment #26

frankbooth says ...

People forget how violent Blade Runner was. I saw it with an audience recently, and Tyrell's head-crushing (Oops -- spoiler!) still gets a rise out of the audience. People were groaning and hiding their faces.

I need to finally read Blood Meridian, too. For years, I found McCarthy's prose unbearably precious, and I never got past page one of any of his books. Then I made it through The Road, which led to all the Pretty Horses*. Now I think he's great.

*Should I give in and watch Billy Bob's movie, or wait for a director's cut? Anyone?

comment #27

Jay T. says ...

Blood Meridian... fucking awesome. Man, Ridley Scott doesn't get as much credit or status as he deserves. Just watched American Gangster for the second time on DVD the other night and liked it even more this time.

comment #28

Jay T. says ...

If you loved All the Pretty horses (the novel) don't watch the movie until they release a director's cut -- it'll only piss you off.

comment #29

Rich S. says ...

I'll not lie, Blood Meridian is a very difficult read. Extremely dense prose with McCarthy's annoying punctuation habits. And though I've read it several times, and read critiques of it on the internet, I'm still not 100% sure how it ended.

But the imagery in the book- wow. Combine the pessimism and revisionism of Unforgiven with the the aesthetic of The Killing Fields and ramp the gore up by a factor of 10 and you're getting close.

comment #30

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

"Blood Meridian" is pretty much the most difficult novel I've ever come across, and I'm a college English major.

When I first started reading it, after 15 pages, I said to myself "I am never, ever going to finish reading this book. It's just too obscure and abstract"

After 50 pages, I still felt frustrated by it but by that point I'd put too much effort and energy into it to just stop reading.

By the time I finished, a week later, I was floored, overwhelmingly impressed by the pure scope and power of the story and prose. I'll never forget it.

I read "The Road" subsequently and found it much easier to read (but still really enjoyed it). I'd recommend that novel as a excellent starting point for new Cormac McCarthy readers.

Can anyone suggest me another book by McCarthy?

...and no, I don't want to read No Country or Pretty Horses...

comment #31

Undercover Brother says ...

Not sure I agree with you there #6. At the rate Scott is going if he lives to 90 he'll make 18 more films! I account Scott's productivity to all the time he spent in directors jail, IE some of the 80's and most of the 90's. Think he'd make "Black Rain", "White Squall" or "GI Jane" today? I'm sure his age isn't lost on him, but he's defying it with each film and year that goes by. He's not just making films for the sake of making them. Good or bad I would only chalk up "Good Year" as a time waster.

And Spielberg? He decided long ago to direct in spurts. He concentrates really hard and makes 3 movies back to back to back and then rests on his haunches for a few more years. And I think his mantle as 'Most Successful Director Ever' has something to do with this. Scott had films that were not only bad, but catastrophically unsuccesful. Someone, somewhere is still paying bills for "1492." Spielberg just kept on rolling through missteps, "1941", to land on his feet time and again.

What I'm saying is that entering the later years of life, Scott still had something to prove to everyone. That he was more than just the guy who made "Alien" and "Blade Runner" 30 years ago. Spielberg didn't need to do this. I think Spielberg continues to make movies because occasionally he loves it, and he wants to prove that the master showman is still relevant. Even though he's really not. "Crystal Skull" shows this in spades. Scott wants to prove the same thing, that he's relevant, and on occasion he manages it.

It boils down to this: If there were a little more of Scott's ambition in Spielberg, The Bearded One might seem a little more on the ball than he really is. As it is I think Scott probably has a more interesing future as a director than Spielberg does. If there's anything left in Steven's tank I think Lincoln will show it.

And neither of them will be much impacted by the death of Sydney Pollack. He quit being relevant as a director long ago. But as an actor he was always on the money.

comment #32

frankbooth says ...

Thanks, Jay T.

comment #33

JBM... says ...

The title "Body of Lies" was changed because a key part of the book -- the part that dealt with an actual body -- does not appear in the film. I guess the "House" is supposed to refer to the DiCaprio character's crumbling marriage, or the shady CIA disinformation op he's running.

comment #34

moorish says ...

"DiCaprio continues to look like a boy playing a man."

Totally true. I find I can't buy him in a role that isn't specifically oriented toward youth (worked fine as the paranoid cop in The Departed, totrally unbelievable as Howard Hughes - his scenes with Cate Blanchett looked like he was trying to seduce one of his mother's friends).

The prospect of Scott making Blood Meridian is mouth-watering. Very savage book and a tough read. Fashioning a strong narrative out of it will be tricky as much of the power of the book is in the language and the story-telling skill of McCarthy, rather than the plot.

comment #35

rgmax99 says ...

Jeffrey Kunze:

Try Child of God; it's a quick creepy read.

comment #36

hatchetface says ...

Jeffrey Kunze: both CHILD OF GOD and OUTER DARK are excellent.

comment #37

D.Z. says ...

moorish: I actually bought him as Hughes, even though I generally agree with that argument. But then he just seemed to fit the era better than Gangs of NY.

comment #38

Jeffrey Kunze says ...

Thanks guys. Just bought Child of God and Outer Dark together on Amazon for 20 bucks.

I look forward to getting down with the sickness.

comment #39

hatchling says ...

Scott supposedly has a script for Blood Meridian, written by William Monahan. But I just can't see this film getting made in today's market. The violence is unrelenting, though the visuals would be stunning [right up Scott's line, obviously] if bloody. I read the book, thought it a bit of a masterpiece, but I'm not sure I want to see it as a film.

I think House of Lies is a misleading title. Body of Lies is the book title, but at one point, the film's title was to be Penetration.

Nottingham is supposed to be only loosely based on the traditional Robin Hood story. I think Scott was either misquoted or was speaking metaphorically. Crowe is playing the Sheriff, who will more or less be the "good guy" in the film. It should be interesting... a big period action epic.

comment #40

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