Father Geek reporting in with Tamsin and her 31st issue of the regular weekly column on film downunder. Buuuuut as is the case many times I've got some juicy tidbits of news for you that were sent directly in to the World Geek Headquarter's offices here at our wooded Austin, Texas compound... NED KELLY is a project I'm especially interested in, I've been a fan of the character for 40 years now. I've had a 1st edition of his autobiography that he wrote while awaiting the hangman, for nearly 30 years now and I whipped it out and reread it when talk of the new series of flicks based on him were first rumored over a year ago...
The Silent Type here with a report from Down Under. The NED KELLY article below is from the Sydney Morning Herald on May 2 2002...
Playing a folk hero is a heavy responsibility for 23-year-old Heath Ledger, writes Garry Maddox.
Director Gregor Jordan knows there's a special responsibility in taking on the Ned Kelly story. Lots of people have told him lately how exciting it is that he is making a new film about the country's most revered bushranger and folk hero.
"Then they look at you and say 'don't f--- it up!"' says the director of Two Hands and the forthcoming Buffalo Soldiers on day two of the shoot in rural Victoria. "You get a sense that this is a story that is quite dear to a lot of Australians. So there's a responsibility to do it well and to not disappoint people."
All the elements are in place for a terrific go at the story of a legendary outlaw whose armoured battles with the police have been shot many times for the screen since the early silent film The Story of the Kelly Gang in 1906. For starters, there's a healthy $30 million budget. Then there's a blue-chip Australian cast headed by Heath Ledger, who, still just 23, has risen to Hollywood stardom since working with Jordan on Two Hands.
The director believes Ledger, who starred in The Patriot and A Knight's Tale, will be a great Ned Kelly.
"Number one, he's the right age. Ned was 25 when he died. Ned was also a very charismatic guy. When he walked into a room, he'd command attention without even trying. Heath is the kind of guy who just has that thing, too. He has lots of charisma. "If you want to make a film of this size, you've got to have a star on board. He fits the bill and, as an incredible bonus, he's Australian."
Ledger has been researching Kelly's character so closely he even has a hotel room overlooking the Old Melbourne Jail, where the outlaw was imprisoned and then hanged in 1880. From his window, he can see the yard where Ned Kelly took his last walk, says Jordan. Ledger plays Kelly over the last decade of his life.
The largely Australian cast also includes Geoffrey Rush, Rachel Griffiths, Naomi Watts and Orlando Bloom from The Lord of the Rings. Their Hollywood wattage reflects what Jordan believes is a unique situation for the country's film industry, with so many bona fide international stars: "As a director, it's a fantastic thing. You can make an Australian film and cast it with stars who are Australian but will potentially take the movie to an international marketplace."
Ned Kelly is the first project for the new Australian arm of Working Title Films, the British company behind Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bean, Elizabeth, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary. The company's track record for international success and distribution by Universal Pictures will give Ned Kelly an ideal launch around the world.
Executive producer Tim Bevan, who set up Working Title with Sarah Radclyffe in 1984, says Ledger's presence will overcome the average American's ignorance about Kelly. "The UK, New Zealand and Australia are fine. Everybody knows who Ned Kelly was. But you need to put elements into the movie that are going to make it attractive to a broader audience.
"We were lucky to get Heath and... to fill that cast out so that it's sexy and inviting. The equivalent in Britain when we're doing a romantic comedy is if you get Hugh [Grant], try to get Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as well. "Then these films begin to feel bigger than they actually are, which is the trick in getting them away outside their indigenous audience."
Bevan refers to Ned Kelly as a western and talks about the importance of audiences being able to place films in identifiable genres. Jordan sees the outlaw's story having the structure of a great myth. "He's a hero figure who stuck up for the underdogs. He was a guy who was picked on and then fought back."
While making a film sympathetic to Kelly, the film-makers are trying to be balanced about his battles with the authorities.
"We try to explain the times and the circumstances as well," says Jordan. "The police were pretty corrupt and picked on Ned until he snapped and fought back. But we try to look at their situation, too: they were basically trying to police a community made up of criminals."
Looking forward to this movie myself, I think Heath will be great in the role, and the supporting cast look superb. I'll let you know if there's any more news.
Cheers,
The Silent Type
Father Geek back with this little bit that Clint from Moviehole sent me...
I'm sure many of you were wondering whether Heath Ledger was going to adorn that Beard for his role as Ned Kelly - wonder no more. He sure will be, says The Sunday Telegraph. Ledger has committed to the outlaw's fully-fledged beard. Mick Jagger could only manage some wispy bum-fluff in the limp 1970 film of the same name. And Ledger's director, Gregor Jordan, disclosed that Ledger will take on the full Irish accent for his portrayal. "It's going to be all Irish," said Jordan. "You realise, when researching his story, Ned was an Irishman even though he'd never been to Ireland."
Yet Kelly remains the quintessential Australian story, still attracting creative types 120 years after his hanging. He's part of the fabric of Australian culture, Jordan said. "He captures a spirit that Australians can really identify with, someone who's been picked on and persecuted and fights back. "He's also someone who's not perfect, rough around the edges and a bit of a wild man. He's sort of the character that people wish they could be."
The Kelly story has attracted filmmakers and novelists since 1906, when the Taits filmed The Story of the Kelly Gang in Melbourne. It is regarded as the world's first feature film. Jordan's Ned Kelly, adapted from Robert Drewe's Our Sunshine, will likely beat two other Kelly films reportedly in development: a low-budget, straight-to-video spoof and an adaptation of Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning novel, The True History of the Kelly Gang, directed by Neil Jordan. Brad Pitt has been whispered as its Kelly, although the film is now on hold. Previously, Godfrey Cass, Bob Chitty, John Jarratt, John Waters, Yahoo Serious and Jagger played Kelly on screen, with varying success.
"I was talking to Bryan Brown about it," said Jordan. "For a young actor, what is there? There's Hamlet, but for an Australian, Kelly is the ultimate role." Ledger, who starred in Jordan's Two Hands, was the only actor considered for the role. "He's the right age for the role, has the level of charisma and the star power to justify the budget, and also he's an Australian. That combination is unique," he said. "For leading men under the age of 25 there's Leonardo DiCaprio, whose salary is stratospheric, and then basically there's just Heath Ledger and Josh Hartnett." Ledger's commitment ensured this Ned Kelly not only has an unusually large budget for an Australian film, but arguably the highest profile cast ever assembled here. Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths, Joel Edgerton, Peter Phelps, Geoff Morrell, "Bud" Tingwell and The Lord of the Rings' star Orlando Bloom join Ledger on the shoot.
"It's actually more about Ned than it is about me," Jordan said of the casting. "I had so much interest from actors around the world about this film because it's a story that captures people's imagination." The last decade has seen that interest peak with a comprehensive biography (Ian Jones's Ned Kelly A Short Life), Drewe's and Carey's novels and a growing interest in art featuring Ned Kelly. Sidney Nolan's River Crossing sold for $261,750 – $60,000 more than expected – this week in Melbourne.
Well, that's it for Father Geek's part. Now, here's Tamsin, and the...
AICN DOWNUNDER REPORT #31
UPCOMING EVENTS
In Melbourne the Science Fiction Film Festival starts in Sydney on 9th May until the 15th and begins in Melbourne on the 13th June until the 19th. Films will include everything from classics such as LA JETEE, FORBIDDEN PLANET to more recent classics including DARK CITY with Alex Proyas confirmed to be speaking in Sydney at the Sci-Fi Forum on the 11th of May at 3pm.
For more information check out the website: Just Click Right Here
THE SHOOT
John Cleese has signed on to star in a new comedy shooting in Melbourne. Written by Josh Goldin and Bruce Hancock, THE SHOOT will also star Billie Browne (THE DISH & THE MAN WHO SUED GOD). John Cleese has been reported as saying about the project, "I was very impressed with the script of 'The Shoot.' It has an original premise, and the situations are well worked out. It gives me a different kind of character from the ones I've traditionally played, plus the chance to work with a couple of old friends. And shooting in Australia is a huge plus. I'm told it's God's own country, and five visits there have given me no reason to disagree. So, watch out, Queensland muddies!"
THE SHOOT will begin production in Australia in mid 2003.
NED KELLY news
Filming for NED KELLY began last Monday and will continue for three months. Starring Heath Ledger, Rachel Griffiths (SIX FEET UNDER), Joel Edgerton (STAR WARS: ATTACK OF THE CLONES), Naomi Watts (MULHOLLAND DRIVE), NED KELLY will be filmed around many rural locations in Victoria. The film is being directed by Gregor Jordan (TWO HANDS, BUFFALO SOLDIERS).
THE MILLI AWARDS
Australian cinematographers will be honoured later this month with a presentation of the annual Milli awards.
The Milli is an award presented to the Australian Cinematographer of the Year. Previous recipients have been Oscar winners, Dean Semler (DANCES WITH WOLVES), John Seale (THE ENGLISH PATIENT) and Andrew Lesnie (THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING). Mandy Walker (LANTANA), could make history by being the first woman to win the award. Nominated in the Best Feature Film section, Mandy will be up against three blokes, Robert Humphries (MULLET), David Burr (CROCODILE DUNDEE IN LA), and Tony Clarke (TEMPTED).
THE NIGHT WE CALLED IT A DAY
Portia de Rossi is the latest star to sign on for the Frank Sinatra-themed film, THE NIGHT WE CALLED IT A DAY, about his disastrous tour of Australia in 1974. John Turturro has been signed on to play Frank, with Melanie Griffith to play Barbara Marx (Mrs Sinatra). Portia will play an Australian journalist on the receiving end of Sinatra's wrath. THE NIGHT WE CALLED IT A DAY will be directed by Aussie Paul Goldman (AUSTRALIAN RULES) and will begin pre-production this month with production expected in September.
COLLISION COURSE
Magda Szubanski (BABE) stars alongside world famous crocodile hunter Steve Irwin in COLLISION COURSE. COLLISION COURSE, due for release in the US on July 12th, follows Irwin as he tries to retrieve a crocodile who has swallowed a secret US satellite beacon.
SOME NEWS FROM MOVIEHOLE:
News just in from 'Deliah' is that Die Hard 4 is on, and booked in for filming in Tropical Queensland - but Bruce Willis isn't exactly stoked about it. It's been revealed that he is contractually obligated to do it and that Die Hard 4 has booked location and studio time for Queensland, here in Australia later in the year. They've decided on Australia because it offers the kind of jungle atmosphere required for the storyline. The shoot will start in Qld for a period of 3 months and it's believed The script, which is already written, required little rework after the Sept. 11th terrorist attack on the U.S. The story is ecologically-themed and does involve terrorists, but in the jungle.
It's likely that Willis will get out of this deal - but for some reason, they're pushing forward with the project. Over at www.scifi2k.com their report suggests Ben Affleck is still on their wish-list for Bruce's costar. Producers are worry about the shoot though because there is only a 13 week window when Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck are available at the same time. The three initial directors producers have courted are not in favor with Willis. May I suggest Paul Hogan as John McClane Snr?
One of the dumbest ideas in screen history my friends.
Clint Morris, Webmaster
url : http://www.moviehole.net
email : cjnb@ihug.com.au
POLITICS - THE SAG GLOBAL ONE RULE
The SAG "GLOBAL ONE" Rule is a devastating blow to Australian and New Zealand film-making. Once our actors have signed on to SAG it may be even more difficult to get them back working on Australian and New Zealand films. Our dollars and budgets cannot compete with the Hollywood films, and it's hard enough getting audiences in to see their own films as it is. Now, the difficulties of paying the extra higher costs of not only their rates but also extra insurances and paperwork, will once again make it more difficult to compete with Hollywood.
The majority of audiences see roughly one or two films a month. If the cost of a ticket for an adult is $14, why would they want to spend that money on seeing a small Australian or New Zealand film when they can see the latest massive blockbuster that has been aggressively marketed to them? The majority of Australian films can hardly afford the film stock, let alone a marketing strategy. Yes, that may be one of our faults, but that does not mean our films are any worse than the average Hollywood film.
Does this mean we have to make huge, action blockbusters in the style of Hollywood in order to compete? There would be no AMELIE from France, no STRICTLY BALLROOM. There are many Australian and New Zealand actors who work in the US and around the world and love the opportunity to return to their home and act in a small, indie film. The "celebrity" of these famous actors gives a small film the opportunity to stand out, and the actor has a chance to return to their home to work on a project that is possibly closer to their own stories. Isn't this what filmmaking is about? A chance to tell a story, which not only entertains but also, reflects our existence and lives. Australian stories are not Hollywood stories. New Zealand stories are not Australian stories. And the world would be an exceptionally boring place if they were all the same. Each has their own distinctive voice, which has time and time again been quashed by "men in suits" who have turned filmmaking into pure movie making. Money is the bottom line. Just like McDonalds, Starbucks and all those franchises which have polluted the world, so too does this globalisation of the world's stories.
The following was also sent to me by a reader, Ian, from New Zealand.
'Rings' runs foul of actors union 27.04.2002
LOS ANGELES - America's biggest actors' union, at odds with Hollywood talent agents, is girding for yet another showdown, this time over films such as The Lord of the Rings being recorded outside the United States.
The Screen Actors Guild, which represents 98,000 performers across America, has set a May 1 deadline to begin strictly enforcing its contract work rules for productions in Canada, Mexico, Europe and other overseas locations such as New Zealand.
Under the new policy, known as Global Rule One, guild members could face fines, suspension and expulsion if they accept work on non-union productions overseas that are aimed at the US market.
They go on to list a few aging actors who I wouldn't have thought would be finding it harder to find work these days. What's going on? It doesn't seem to be for the actors at all.
-- Ian.
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/ianman
Contact http://www.mtnsms.com/ +6421607707
