146 replies to this topic

[Peter T Chattaway]

'Atlas Shrugged' Rights Holder Sets June Production Start Whether Or Not Stars Align
John Aglialoro, the entrepreneur who 17 years ago paid $1 million to option the book rights, is tired of the futility and is taking matters into his own hands. He’s announced that he is financing a June 11 production start in Los Angeles for the first of what he said will be four films made from the book.
Aglialoro, who had a hand in writing the script by Brian O’Tool, is taking on this ambitious plan with an unproven director, and is weeks away from production without stars to play Dagny Taggart, Hank Rearden, John Galt and the other roles. He's moving forward despite the conventional wisdom that without stars, it could ultimately be the audience that shrugged. . . .
Polk said that the idea of cutting through the bureaucracy and just getting started is consistent with the book's themes of capitalism and taking entrepreneurial risk. The story centers around Taggart, a railroad executive trying to keep her business on a growth track despite her feeling that innovators in hers and other industries have stopped innovating, which is causing society to crumble.
Deadline.com, May 26

[Tim K]

I've never read Atlas Shrugged, so I couldn't really comment on that -- But, I actually think Angelina Jolie might make a good Dominique Francon.

[bowen]

Peter T Chattaway, on 26 May 2010 - 04:19 PM, said:

'Atlas Shrugged' Rights Holder Sets June Production Start Whether Or Not Stars Align
John Aglialoro, the entrepreneur who 17 years ago paid $1 million to option the book rights, is tired of the futility and is taking matters into his own hands. He’s announced that he is financing a June 11 production start

June 11???? Two-and-a-half weeks from now June 11????

They planning to wrap up production on June 12 by any chance?

If this is about protecting a $1M investment in rights, it looks more like throwing good money after bad.

[J.A.A. Purves]

They could just do it all with computers - sort of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow meets self-righteous objectivist Superman, except with less violence and more heavy, ponderous soliloquies ... all in 3D. Wouldn't take too long to film.

Edited by Persiflage, 28 May 2010 - 01:38 AM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Cameras role on 'Atlas'
The long-brewing feature version of author Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" has begun shooting in Los Angeles as a $5 million indie produced by John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow.
Cameras began rolling over the weekend on a five-week shoot for "Atlas Shrugged Part One" with Paul Johansson directing from Brian Patrick O'Toole's script. Aglialoro would have lost the feature rights if the film wasn't in production by Saturday.
A spokesman for Aglialoro -- the CEO of exercise equipment producer Cybex -- said there will be at least one more "Atlas Shrugged" shot after the current film's completed. Rand's massive novel is divided into three parts, each consisting of 10 chapters. . . .
Johansson ("One Tree Hill") portrays Galt. The lead role of railroad executive Dagny Taggart has gone to Taylor Schilling ("Mercy) and the part of Henry Reardon is being played by Grant Bowler ("Ugly Betty").
Michael Lerner ("A Serious Man") portrays lobbyist Wesley Mouch and director Nick Cassavetes has signed on for the Richard McNamara role. Other key cast include Matthew Marsdan as James Taggart and Graham Beckel as Ellis Wyatt. . . .
Variety, June 14

'Atlas Shrugged' Director Stephen Polk Bummed About Being Replaced: Lawsuit?
When I last checked on the project to turn Ayn Rand’s mammoth Atlas Shrugged into a feature film, Stephen Polk was excitedly discussing how he would realize a dream by coming out of nowhere to direct the film on June 11th. Well, the movie made its start date, but Polk is on the outside looking in. It's One Tree Hill star Paul Johansson directing and starring among a low-wattage cast, considering that Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron each seriously flirted with playing protagonist Dagny Taggart. (Now that role will be played by Taylor Schilling.)
Polk tells me he was devastated to be replaced just two weeks before production started, and even more so when a Variety announcement today omitted him completely, even as a producer. Polk isn't shrugging this off. He has hired an attorney and predicts litigation in the near future. . . .
Mike Fleming, Deadline.com, June 14

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 19 June 2010 - 01:09 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

The filmmakers are reaching out to conservative websites. Libertas has run part one and part two of their set-visit report, and John Nolte (who used to write for Libertas) @ Big Hollywood has run his report, with the promise of more to come.

[Stephen Lamb]

This now has a release date, April 15th, and a website: http://www.atlasshruggedpart1.com/

[J.A.A. Purves]

Stephen Lamb, on 03 February 2011 - 06:25 PM, said:

This now has a release date, April 15th, and a website: http://www.atlasshruggedpart1.com/

I know Glenn Beck's excited.

[NBooth]

You know that feeling some get when faced with the prospect of another Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I get exactly the same feeling when this thread surfaces. Blech.

[BethR]

NBooth, on 03 February 2011 - 08:01 PM, said:

You know that feeling some get when faced with the prospect of another Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I get exactly the same feeling when this thread surfaces. Blech.

You know that feeling you get when there's a movie based on a great book, and you think, "Well, the movie probably won't be all that, but maybe it will get more people to read the book"? I have exactly the opposite feeling about this movie. Please, somebody make it stop.

[bowen]

This now has a trailer:

[NBooth]

There's something very telling about the fact that the movie's apparently set in the present day, but also feels weirdly anachronistic: for instance, people in this version of the U.S. apparently use trains as a regular mode of transportation. Huh.

EDIT: A second viewing tells me that these must be freight trains. It still seems weird, though.

Edited by NBooth, 11 February 2011 - 07:27 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Embedding it:



For some reason, I find myself thinking, "Hey, there's a couple of Coen brothers veterans here."

[Tyler]

The tone of the trailer seems out of step with the level of drama onscreen; it's pitched like a thriller, but most of the scenes are people talking in boardrooms and cocktail parties.

[Tyler]

How's this for a pseudo connection: In the second episode of One Tree Hill, a character quotes from Atlas Shrugged. The character who speaks the quote is the son of the character played by Paul Johansson, director/star of Atlas Shrugged.

Also, I will be very disappointed if there isn't a One Tree Hill/Atlas Shrugged mashup trailer by the end of the weekend.

[J.A.A. Purves]

They're certainly trying really really hard to make it look interesting. Scary music. Lots of camera tracking shots of apparently scenes from Unstoppable, mixed in between all the dialogue.

Principal Snyder: "We can't afford to allow the expansion of a company which produces too much." Dun! Dun! Dun!

Angry white guy: "Maybe you should let me finish speaking!" Dum! Dum! Dum!

[BethR]

I think I saw this move some years ago. The tagline was "Greed is good."

[bowen]

Tyler, on 12 February 2011 - 11:38 AM, said:

it's pitched like a thriller

Well, it has a train wreck...or it is a train wreck.

[J.A.A. Purves]

Here's a little bit of fun to help balance the thread out a bit -

[NBooth]

That's fantastic.