Brian Damage
08-07-2009, 12:26 AM
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/08/futuristic-robin-hood-at-warner-bros.html
Forget bows-and-arrows -- there could soon be sleek guns in Nottingham.
"Robin Hood" will be getting a futuristic makeover courtesy of the producers of “The Dark Knight” and “300” as well as Warner Bros., where a new take on the classic tale has been set up.
Atlas Entertainment and Hollywood Gang will produce the untitled saga, while commercials director Nicolai Fuglsig, who pitched the project, has signed on to direct. Jason Hall, the CAA-repped scribe who penned the upcoming Ashton Kutcher dramedy ‘Spread,” will write the screenplay.
Few plot details have been revealed about the new Robin Hood, but it will be set in a dystopian London and center on a band of thieves whose activities restore hope to the city’s embattled population. Producers describe it as "a futuristic action adventure” that will be "both inspired by and pay homage to the legend of Robin Hood."
Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will produce via their Atlas banner, while Gianni Nunnari will produce via his Hollywood Gang shingle. Craig Flores of Hollywood Gang will exec produce.
The UTA-repped Fuglsig, who is also a photojournalist, is known for shooting commercials on a a large-scale canvas and with a playful flourish. Producers said it was Fuglsig’s conception of the project that drove it forward.
"His stunning visual presentation blew me away," said Roven, whose Atlas is also developing the screenplay "Bleederjack" with Fuglsig. "He has a very clear vision for the film, one that will re-invent and modernize a classic story."
The character of Robin Hood originated in medieval English folklore but has had many variations in pop culture through the centuries. It typically centers on a commoner who, pursued by an evil king, retreats with his band of followers to live as outlaws, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. A skilled archer, Robin Hood frequently squares off with the Sheriff of Nottingham, who seeks to restore order to his jurisdiction.
The character is as timeless as Shakespeare, and yet, as he seems to do at least once every generation, the benevolent bandit is back in vogue in Hollywood.
Ridley Scott is now shooting his version of Robin Hood for Universal and Imagine (a number of writers collaborated on the script, including Tom Stoppard) with Russell Crowe starring as the hero.
Warners has been involved with a number of earlier versions, including what is regarded as the definitive one, the 1938 pic with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone that was nominated for a best picture Oscar.
That studio also made and released the global blockbuster “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in 1991. That starred Kevin Costner at the peak of his boxoffice power and grossed $390 million worldwide, also spawning a hit album and that damn Bryan Adams ballad.
Roven and Atlas are behind the re-invention of the Batman character in movies like “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” while Nunnari and Hollywood Gang have gone back to ancient mythology with the epic “War of Gods” at Relativity.
Reimaginings of classic tales are also in the air in Burbank: Warners recently signed up for a Gothic re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood.
Forget bows-and-arrows -- there could soon be sleek guns in Nottingham.
"Robin Hood" will be getting a futuristic makeover courtesy of the producers of “The Dark Knight” and “300” as well as Warner Bros., where a new take on the classic tale has been set up.
Atlas Entertainment and Hollywood Gang will produce the untitled saga, while commercials director Nicolai Fuglsig, who pitched the project, has signed on to direct. Jason Hall, the CAA-repped scribe who penned the upcoming Ashton Kutcher dramedy ‘Spread,” will write the screenplay.
Few plot details have been revealed about the new Robin Hood, but it will be set in a dystopian London and center on a band of thieves whose activities restore hope to the city’s embattled population. Producers describe it as "a futuristic action adventure” that will be "both inspired by and pay homage to the legend of Robin Hood."
Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will produce via their Atlas banner, while Gianni Nunnari will produce via his Hollywood Gang shingle. Craig Flores of Hollywood Gang will exec produce.
The UTA-repped Fuglsig, who is also a photojournalist, is known for shooting commercials on a a large-scale canvas and with a playful flourish. Producers said it was Fuglsig’s conception of the project that drove it forward.
"His stunning visual presentation blew me away," said Roven, whose Atlas is also developing the screenplay "Bleederjack" with Fuglsig. "He has a very clear vision for the film, one that will re-invent and modernize a classic story."
The character of Robin Hood originated in medieval English folklore but has had many variations in pop culture through the centuries. It typically centers on a commoner who, pursued by an evil king, retreats with his band of followers to live as outlaws, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. A skilled archer, Robin Hood frequently squares off with the Sheriff of Nottingham, who seeks to restore order to his jurisdiction.
The character is as timeless as Shakespeare, and yet, as he seems to do at least once every generation, the benevolent bandit is back in vogue in Hollywood.
Ridley Scott is now shooting his version of Robin Hood for Universal and Imagine (a number of writers collaborated on the script, including Tom Stoppard) with Russell Crowe starring as the hero.
Warners has been involved with a number of earlier versions, including what is regarded as the definitive one, the 1938 pic with Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone that was nominated for a best picture Oscar.
That studio also made and released the global blockbuster “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in 1991. That starred Kevin Costner at the peak of his boxoffice power and grossed $390 million worldwide, also spawning a hit album and that damn Bryan Adams ballad.
Roven and Atlas are behind the re-invention of the Batman character in movies like “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight,” while Nunnari and Hollywood Gang have gone back to ancient mythology with the epic “War of Gods” at Relativity.
Reimaginings of classic tales are also in the air in Burbank: Warners recently signed up for a Gothic re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood.