Hollywood could soon be going Objectivist.After decades in development hell, Ayn Rand's capitalism-minded "Atlas Shrugged" is taking new steps toward the big screen -- with one of the film world's most prominent money men potentially at its center.
Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media is circling the Baldwin Entertainment project and could come aboard to finance with Lionsgate, which got involved several years ago.
Rand's popular but polarizing book -- it's derided by many literary critics but has a huge public following -- tells the story of Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive trying to keep her corporation competitive in the face of what she perceives as a lack of innovation and individual responsibility.
A number of stars have expressed serious interest in playing the lead role of Taggart. Angelina Jolie previously had been reported as a candidate to play the strong female character, but the list is growing and now includes Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway.
It was written, if I am any judge, with Mrs. Humphrey Bogart in Ms. Rand's mind's eye.
But since we need someone with the gravitas and occasional cold bitch insouciance .. if they hurry....
Although it was written a half-century ago, producers say that the book's themes of individualism resonate in the era of Obama, government bailouts and stimulus packages -- making this the perfect moment to bring the 1,100-page novel to the big screen.
"This couldn't be more timely," said Karen Baldwin, who along with husband Howard is producing, with film industry consultant John Logigian advising on the project. "It's uncanny what Rand was able to predict -- about the only things she didn't anticipate are cell phones and the Internet." Baldwin may be on to something -- love it or hate it, "Shrugged" is seeing a resurgence, with book sales spiking as debates rage in Washington and around the country about the government's role in a faltering free-market economy.
13 comments:
where do we get those cool t shirts?
Don't spend all day there !
Don't miss the beer glasses either.
My vote--Rene Russo and - if they were to bring back that fabulous dress-I would not mind..l
C-CS
For those of us who have been playing "Cast Atlas Shrugged" for the past 50 years or so, this comes under the heading of "here we go again". Given the circumstances, there might just be enough incentive to get it off the ground this time.
Renee Russo would have made a terrific Dagny 10-15 years ago, but the woman is 55 years old. They would have to really hurry. Of course everyone from the first round of fantasy casting -- which included Bacall -- are either dead or grandparents by now.
Any word on names mentioned for Galt, Reardon and D'Anconia?
Oh wow. the dance from Thomas Crown Affair. Hot stuff. Renee Russo mmmmmmmmm. . .
indeed rra..but i just can't imagine Charlize or moronic Anne Hathaway .. Jolie withdrew a while back..
Banderas - D'anconia
Leonardo Di Caprio - Danneskjold
Russel Crowe James Taggart
Reese Witherspoon - Mrs Rearden
Daniel Craig - Henry Rearden
Hugh Jackman GALT
Nicole Kidman...Kate Winslett or Cate Blanchett .. Dagny Taggart
Good selection. Neither Charlize nor Hathaway come near to cutting it. Kidman, Winslett and Blanchett all have sufficient gravitas for Dagny though it is hard to say which if any would be a "perfect" choice. It will be interesting to see which characters actually make it into the movie given the cuts that will have to be made to keep it anything like a manageable length.
I see Craig mentioned most often for Reardon and he would be an excellent match. Banderas would make a good Francisco though I look back with nostalgia on the days when Frank Langella was the frontrunner for that.
Casting James Taggart and especially Lillian Reardon has always been a satisfying exercise in revenge on the most obnoxious leftard stars of the day. You could take just about any hyperliberal bimbo out there, bleach her hair, and get an authentic Lillian. Jim Taggart calls for a more finely honed ability to convey the essence of weaseldom. Crowe is almost infallibly perfect as anyone he's cast to play. Someone else suggested Kevin Spacey, also interesting. Jim has always reminded me of a nastier version of Fredo in "The Godfather" actually.
Aaaarrrgghhh... I swore I'd never get suckered into this game again! (Whoever had the option in the mid-1990s I heard they presented Peikoff with a script that included aliens -- the UFO kind, not Mexicans -- and he told them what they could do with it and that was the last we heard of it until Brangelina expressed an interest. So I'll believe it when it actually goes into production.)
hey, thanks for the link to the shirts.
What I am concerned about is the script for this thing. I think it would be a mistake to attempt to follow the book too slavishly, as it is simply far too complex...even if done as a trilogy.
My model would be Lord of the Rings. They captured the tone and thrust of the story staggeringly well, but also streamlined it and made it very accessible to folks who hadn't read the book. And that is the important thing to do here.
This is an opportunity to present ideas to a broad audience. Losing them in details or polemics is counterproductive. Making an accessible, easily understood and clear message will have much more impact this way. People can and will refer back to the book, LOTR had a sales surge following it's release(s).
I'm as much a purist as anyone else, but dare I say we must be objective. We have a great chance here and must take the average non Rand reader into account to give them the thrust and flavor of these ideas without it being a polemic or too heavy handed.
Is Angelina Jolie still interested? I seem to remember she was trying to get the movie made and and play DT.
Ro
Oops - sorry - I now see the Angelina Jolie reference above.
My retinas must have been damaged by seeing the vid of the POTUS genuflect to the barbaric 7th century. . .
Ro
Atlas Shrugged is a film with many homosexual undertones.
Mitch Haase
Why because of the three buds?
Frankly I don't see many/any
Any thoughts on Laura Linney as DT?
Mitch, Rand was comfortable portraying intense friendships between men without any homosexual overtones whatever. Not exactly surprising that you would see it in a different light.
Post a Comment