24 replies to this topic

[Overstreet]

Oh. My.

One of my favorite novels in the world.

[Tyler]

One of mine, too. I've always thought the scope was too big for a movie, though.

[Overstreet]

Definitely. It'll inevitably become The Peter Lake Adventure and nothing more.

[John Drew]

Not a book I would hand over to someone for their first film. A film version of this piqued my interest back in the 80's or early 90's, when Martin Scorcese and Melissa Matthison were attached to it as director and writer. I just don't see a film version of this story having as much impact now, as it did pre-millennium. That date is such a huge part of the story, and I'm not sure how you generate on film the excitement of that approaching date now that we are ten years past it. The approach to the millennium in the novel still reads great (I reread this about 4 years ago), but I've tried watching films where that date was central to the plot (Strange Days, for example) and these films just don't seem to hold up.

[Tyler]

I keep seeing this as Winter's Bone, and then get confused when I read the thread.

[John Drew]

Tyler, on 02 February 2011 - 09:13 AM, said:

I keep seeing this as Winter's Bone, and then get confused when I read the thread.

I did the same thing last night, and just passed by the thread. It wasn't until this morning when I read the news on ComingSoon.com, that I thought perhaps I should go back and check what I'd quickly glossed over.

[J.A.A. Purves]

I'm starting a thread for the book.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Playing Javert in Les Miserables may keep Russell Crowe out of Winter's Tale -

Quote

Crowe's involvement in "Les Miserables" may end his participation in several other high-profile projects scheduled to shoot around the same time. Relativity was interested in the actor for one of the starring roles in "Out of the Furnace," and he was also a front-runner for one of the male leads in Akiva Goldsman's "Winter's Tale," but both projects are expected to shoot around the same time as "Les Miserables."

What I want to know is how they know there are front-runners for leads in Winter's Tale period. I haven't heard a single bit of news on this since it was announced.

Edited by Persiflage, 16 September 2011 - 07:05 PM.

[Darryl A. Armstrong]

Wow. Somehow I missed this one. Winter's Tale is one of my top 5 favorite books.

I'm glad Russell Crowe is out of the running for a part.

And this really should be a mini-series (HBO, AMC, anyone? Anyone?).

[J.A.A. Purves]

After finally finishing the book, I have no idea how you'd write a two hour script for a film adaptation for it. Or even a three hour script.

I suppose by cutting out a ton of really good side stories and characters.

[Overstreet]

The casting is shaping up. I'm not sure I'd say "nicely," but it's shaping up.

Hollywood Reporter:

Quote

Writer-director Akiva Goldsman is trying to move forward on his passion project Winter's Tale, a period reincarnation story that is set up at Warner Bros. Chemistry reads involving Tom Hiddleston (Loki in Marvel's Thor) and Benjamin Walker (the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) are scheduled for this weekend as all are said to be in the mix for the male role of a criminal on the run. For the female part of a terminally ill woman, the list includes Bella Heathcote (on screen currently in In Time), Elizabeth Olsen, Gabriele Wilde (Three Musketeers) and Sarah Gadon (A Dangerous Method). Russell Crowe is loosely attached as the villain, although the entire project may hinge on it finding a third-party financier.

Edited by Overstreet, 07 November 2011 - 10:43 PM.

[Tyler]

Overstreet, on 07 November 2011 - 10:42 PM, said:

reincarnation story

Is it? It's been awhile since I read the novel, but I don't remember that angle in there.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Russell Crowe and Will Smith Save Akiva Goldsman's Directing Debut -

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Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, I Am Legend) had been trying to get his directing debut off the ground for years: An adaptation of Mark Helprin's 1983 magical-realism novel Winter's Tale. Vulture has learned that things finally seem to be moving ahead on the stalled project at Warner Bros. after, our spies say, Goldsman "called in every favor he had" and landed Russell Crowe and Will Smith, both stars of his previous work, in supporting roles.

Set in both nineteenth-century and present-day Manhattan, Winter's Tale is about a petty thief who falls in love with the dying girl who inhabits the house he’s just burgled and the gangster boss bent on killing him. (Oh, and did we mention there’s also a white, flying horse?) We hear Crowe is in negotiations to play Pearly Soames, the gangster boss, while Smith would appear in the film as a judge. The lead roles of the thief and the little girl still have not been cast.

The film had been languishing at Warner over financial issues — as you might expect with a book that features an angelic white horse that can actually jump five New York City blocks at one go — but we now hear that between Goldsman shaving some $20 million off the original budget and landing both Crowe and Smith, the film is likely to take flight (just like a flying horse!) and begin shooting as early as September or October of this year.

Edited by Persiflage, 04 February 2012 - 11:10 AM.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Is Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey joining the cast? I don't know about Beverly Penn, but I could see her as a great choice for the part of Virginia Gamely.

[Tyler]

Collider--and others--say Colin Farrell has been offered the lead. He hasn't accepted it yet, though, and it sounds like he might not:

Quote

Variety

reports that Farrell has yet to enter negotiations for the role which could prevent him from landing the part; apparently, Farrell is seeking a sizable paycheck due in part to his summer release reboot Total Recall, which is reportedly picking up steam. If his involvement falls through, the studio has previously looked at a number of young leads, including: Benjamin Walker, Tom Hiddleston, Luke Evans, Aaron Johnson, Garrett Hedlund and Liam Hemsworth.

Edited by Tyler, 27 April 2012 - 08:12 AM.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Amongst Disney news, Winter's Tale is given a little footnote that appears to confirm that Colin Farrell is now committed to playing Peter Lake.

[J.A.A. Purves]

William Hurt joins the cast.

Movieweb better be wrong about him taking "the last major role" in the film though. There's a couple of quite significant major roles left.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Major feature film 'Winter's Tale' casting actors and extras in New York

Nothing else new really, except that it is set to begin filming at the end of October with plans to film through the winter.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Eva Marie Saint, Matt Bomer and Lucy Griffiths join the cast.

I'm hoping Marie Saint is Mrs. Gamely.

[Timothy Zila]

Surprised this first look (in the form of set photos) hasn't been posted yet.

How does the board feel about this adaptation?