The TV Addict 

Roland Emmerich hates you
Admittedly our world sometimes has its darker moments, but I’m really beginning to wonder what the heck the world ever did to Roland Emmerich to make him take it so personally and want to blow it up in every one of his movies. As of last night, his latest project 2012 (a mighty jump in time from his upcoming 10,000 B.C.) sold to Sony after every studio in Hollywood was foaming at the mouth for it. What’s the project about? Well, this time it seems Emmerich got tired of some of the more novel ways of taking down our world a notch (aliens, global warming, Mel Gibson), and is now going right for the jugular: the apocalypse. You see, many people believe that December 21st, 2012 will be the apocalypse because something in the Ancient Mayan’s calendar or something. So it seems once again everyone on planet earth’s lives will be threatened. Now since there are no specifics as to what shape or form this apocalypse will take, based on Emmerich’s other films, I’m going to go ahead and say it’s some sort of imperialistic invading force. I base this on the fact that every film he’s ever done has had one. In INDEPENDENCE DAY aliens want to colonize Earth. In THE PATRIOT, America was a colony and didn’t want to be, so England tried to squash the ensuing revolution. In THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, nature itself essentially invaded mankind to re-colonize Earth without humans in it. In 10,000 B.C. (or as I refer to it, APOCALYPTO 2) from what I can tell it’s the same deal. At times I wonder – give that he is German – if the prevalence of invading forces in his films is possibly a subversive critique of American imperialism, just wrapping it around the kind of grand spectacle everyone loves, cleverly using one of the central mediums of cultural American imperialism (bid budget Hollywood films) to simultaneously criticize it. Kind of like an ideological Trojan horse, if you will. But then I realize a) my MA in Film possessed me for a moment and let me get out of hand, and b) that’s really giving him too much credit, and I really just think he likes blowing stuff up.
Source: Variety

McKenna is on fire
Lately it seems women screenwriters are finally getting their due. Not just on the award level (four women have Academy Award nominations for their scripts), but even on just your regular success level. Take Aline Brosh McKenna. Not only did she adapt the successful sleeper-hit THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, but her most recent film, 27 DRESSES, is in theatres currently and according to Box Office Mojo, has grossed $71 million to date. That’s not all though. McKenna has three projects currently in development at three different studios, and now we get news that she’s sold yet another project. At the rate she’s going she may very well be able to just buy Prada, or Meryl Streep as her best friend. Just kidding. She could only probably afford Anne Hathaway. Screenwriters don’t do that well. Anyway, According to Nathan Kahane, the producer of the just-sold project, the key to McKenna’s success seems to be, “an exceptional ability to tell charming and funny stories for women that are guilty pleasures for men.” As someone who has seen both DEVIL and 27 DRESSES, I’d have to say he’s right. They may not be great films, but they are charming, entertaining, and amusing enough, so more power for her for doing so well with her talents.
Source: Variety

Universal and Hasbro team up
Universal Pictures has agreed to a six-year partnership with Hasbro with the intention of making four feature films. TRANSFORMERS, as you may well know, was already one hit based on a Hasbro product, and the next one is Stephen Summers’ G.I. JOE in 2009. Ridley Scott and his Scott Free company is also developing a film based on “Monopoly.” Yeah, I know. As for the properties involved in the Universal/Hasbro deal, they include: “Candy Land,” “Ouija,” “Clue,” “Battleship,” and “Stretch Armstrong.” Now, “Clue” has already been done, so here Hollywood has the chance to really distinguish itself by not only making a film that is a remake AND based on an existing property. “Battleship “will probably be turned into some intense navy action flick (AN OFFICER MEETS A GENTLEMEN meets PEARL HARBOR). “Ouija” will probably be some supernatural thriller, because we can never get enough of those. “Stretch Armstrong” will turn into some ridiculous children’s movie (a la SON OF THE MASK, or INSPECTOR GADGET). And as for “Candy Land,” frankly, I don’t even want to think about how frightening a film based on that property would end up looking.
Source: Variety