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| Jaxx |
Stones Wrap Up Tour With Movie
Oct 04, 2002 (WENN via COMTEX) -- The ROLLING STONES are getting their latest tour filmed by RED DRAGON director BRETT RATNER - heightening speculation it may be their last live outing.
Singer MICK JAGGER, who championed Ratner at the beginning of his career, will produce the new project and he's trying to persuade THE ROYAL TENNENBAUMS movie maker WES ANDERSON to write it.
Jagger tried to get a similar project off the ground a decade ago - with BEN STILLER and BRAD PITT starring as Stones fans attempting to gatecrash a concert.
Ratner says, "This will be my version of a ROBERT ALTMAN film six characters revolving around the tour."
The movie will feature the Stones as themselves but it's not clear as to whether Pitt and Stiller are still on board to star. (KL/DV/CPT) Friday, October 4, 2002 Posted: 10:17 AM EDT (1417 GMT)
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Director's long, strange trip to 'Dragon'
Talk, talent helped Ratner move up
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- When Universal premiered "Red Dragon" Monday in Gotham's Grand Central Station for an A-list crowd, director Brett Ratner was in his element -- bouncing from one conversation to another not with the detached coolness of most directors, but with exuberance and goofy charm, Variety reports.
That affability, coupled with his Sammy Glick-like ascent and the supermodels that always seem to be in his orbit, have often led to questions about Ratner's skill level, even as he's become a commercial force.
Judging by the industry reaction to his deft handling of dark material, Ratner's for real. And he's moving quickly from Hannibal Lecter to two more icons: Superman and the Rolling Stones. While he tackles the former, Ratner is eyeing the 40th anniversary tour Stones tour as the backdrop of a picture he wants to make at Universal, with Mick Jagger producing with Ratner and his partner, Jay Stern.
In the early 1990s, Jagger gave Ratner his first film meeting in Hollywood, telling him about a picture Ben Stiller tried to make with Brad Pitt about fans who try to crash a Stones concert. Fearing the Stones might be making their concert curtain call, Ratner hatched a project revolving around the band.
"This is my version of an Altman film -- six characters revolving around the tour -- and I've gone to Wes Anderson, begging him to write it for me," Ratner said.
That he's open about cribbing Altman is pure Ratner, who said it's not coincidence that "Red Dragon" is closer in tone to "Silence of the Lambs" than Lecter pictures "Hannibal" or "Red Dragon's" original, "Manhunter."
"When I see movies by people my age like Paul Thomas Anderson or Wes, I can tell you which scenes in older movies they referenced for specific shots, whether it's Robert Downey Sr. or Robert Altman," Ratner said. "I'm very good at copying. When I made 'Rush Hour,' '48 Hours,' 'Midnight Run' and 'Beverly Hills Cop' helped me decide what to do. When (Universal Pictures topper) Stacey Snider sent me the 'Red Dragon' script, I thought, why me? I don't do dark, and there were voices in my head saying 'you suck compared to Michael Mann, Ridley Scott and Jonathan Demme.' But I decided this was about characters and should be like 'Silence of the Lambs.' Jonathan said, 'I can't wait to see your version, and if you're looking for the Godfather's blessing, you've got it."
Following movie dreams
Ratner didn't dwell on measuring up to the stylistic imprint Mann put on "Red Dragon" with "Manhunter," even though the periodic trips a teenage Ratner made to the "Miami Vice" set persuaded him to be a director.
"That movie did $6 million in box office, and in terms of the marketplace right now, nobody has seen it except fans like me and you," Ratner said.
Ratner's pluck comes from the unlikely origins of his film career. He finished high school at 16 and went right to the admissions office of NYU because Scorsese went there.
"I didn't factor in academics, and I'd never gone to class because I was watching or making movies," he said.
Told to prove himself in community college, a dejected Ratner took one last shot before returning home. "I went to the dean's office, said it was an emergency, and somehow got five minutes," Ratner said. "I told him my dream was to be a film director and that if he didn't let me in, I'd be living on my mom's couch in Miami the rest of my life." The dean surprisingly watched his films, and Ratner was accepted.
"Taking that chance was the defining moment in my life," he said. "I never accepted no for an answer since."
Negotiating with Grazer
So it wasn't surprising that Ratner eventually charmed Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy into funding his student film even though they only gave to USC students. He impressed Brian Grazer enough to get a job offer.
"Brian said, 'Be my assistant for $22,000, and someday you'll be a big producer,' " Ratner recalled. "I said, 'You don't understand, I'm a director.' 'Fine,' he said, '$24,000.' I say, 'Brian, I want to be Ron Howard, not a producer.' '$27,000,' he said. Finally, he said, 'I've got another meeting. Good luck.' When I got my first movie, he couldn't believe it. 'You're really a director,' he said."
The key, Ratner said, is that he's got a voluminous knowledge of films and has no pretense about admitting he's overmatched. "Red Dragon" scripter Ted Tally said Ratner was meticulously prepared and exceedingly collaborative.
"People remember me as this little hustler, but I was always a filmmaker, always learning," Ratner said. "When I got an agent and they wanted me to meet all these studio guys, I refused until I'd shot 100 videos and knew I was ready. If you watched my student film, you'd never believe the same guy did 'Red Dragon.' I am very aware of my limitations."
[Edited by Jaxx] |
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| Nellcote |
Jaxx;
As always, the dilligence the three of you put into this board, with these articles is nothing short of tremendous. Many thanks!
Now, for commentary, I'm so bored of the talk of the "last time". I must think that this has it's origins back to when the Liverpool bunch decided touring was not for them, they went underground, or rooftop, as it were.
Everyone then said the Stones would be next. After two shows this tour, I cannot quite fathom the preoccupation with these endless articles about this being it. If I'm
a publisher of a paper, stay away from these type of articles, it's only crap. Why don't these writers just get it, that they will be six feet under before the Stones? |
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| VoodooChileInWOnderl |
This is also a good time to remain that another film is being made and it will be premiered in England
Check this thread from our archives http://novogate.com/board/968/Archives/08-11-2002/107313-1.html
In an exclusive interview yesterday in Mexico City, Michael Apted who is here promoting the film �Never More� revealed the making of a film about and produced by the Rolling Stones.
He had six months working on it, it will focus not only in the Stones 40 years of history as a group and as individuals but making emphasis in the making and planning of the tour 2002-2003 as well as members interviews.
He will meet the Stone sin Toronto this week to review the current progress of the film.
"I�m excited about this documentary because I�m working more in the field of research. I had the opportunity to be with the band in Paris some months ago and I�m going to meet them these days to have a feedback from them about what I have now." Commented Apted in a press conference yesterday.
The British director, who came to Mexico to promote only a few hours his film, �Never More� (With Jennifer L�pez and Bill Campbell) commented that he has six months working on this project.
"I have been several months in the shooting and all the logistics have impressed because it is going to last around two years. it will be a different, revealing perspective� "It will have a very interesting touch� he added.
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| Martha |
Thanks for keeping the board loaded-up with the latest Stones news...you guys rock! |
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| beer |
[quote]Jaxx wrote:
Jagger tried to get a similar project off the ground a decade ago - with BEN STILLER and BRAD PITT starring as Stones fans attempting to gatecrash a concert.
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This doesn't sound good at all. It sounds like something KISS would do. Oh, wait, KISS DID do it! Remember that movie?
It just seems cheezy.
BTW,this has nothin to do with this topic, but here is a link about Mick and Keith appearing on The Simpsons.Is that cheezy? You decide.
http://www.tvtome.com/Simpsons/season14.html
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