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Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Wapitikev - 08-05-2008
I have been doing some thinking recently (scary prospect, I know).
I recently began looking for Beacon's web presence in order to ask them questions, directly, about their Repiarman Jack Project.
What I found was quite unexpected and shocking...which prompted me to look further into the background and track record of Beacon, its owner/producer, and the details that we know, so far, about the Repairman Jack movie.
I would like to say, up front, that I am not trying to offend Beacon, its owner(s) or it's staff, nor FPW himself...I am simply providing information about the company, the project, and, in the end, making some guesses at the possible future of a Jack film.
From FPW's Repairman Jack Movie blog...Beacon’s latest position is that inferior scripts shopped in the past are making it difficult to find a director for the new, improved script. This is, of course, a situation that Beacon created for itself, albeit unintentionally.
Beacon is a relatively small, independent production company…they put out only one movie in 2005, 2007 and none are scheduled for 2008. In addition, three are already scheduled for 2009, so it is unlikely that we’ll see Rakoshi on film in 2009...their slate is full.
Also keep in mind that the current incarnation of Beacon has only been in business since 2002, when it was purchased by Holding Pictures, a company owned partially by Beacon’s founder, Armyan Bernstein. According to my research, Armyan has been with all the different incarnations of Beacon.
Since 2002, Beacon has released only 8 pictures. Only two of those films have made over $100,000,000 at the box office: Ladder 49 (2004) and The Waterhorse (2007), although it tanked in the US (no pun intended) with less than 40% of its box office receipts originating there.
Certainly, as an independent production house, box-office receipts do not necessarily determine the success of a film…but they certainly are necessary to A) ensure your ability to make future films and B) establish a franchise character.
My original indicator that Beacon was a small production company came when I visited their completely out-of-date web-site…the last movie showcased there is the Guardian (2006) and the last online press release was May 7, 2006.
Mr. Bernstein himself has been Executive Producer of only 2 pictures to gross over $100,000,000, out of 9 attempts since Open Range in 2003. One was Ladder 49 for Beacon and another was Dawn of the Dead (remake) with Strike Entertainment, another production house that he works with regularly. Both those films were released in 2004. His 6 movies since 2004 have either lost money or barely broke even, including Firewall, Children of Men and the Guardian.
At www.eguide.com, Bernstein has 25 projects listed in various stages of pre-production, one of which is Childhood’s End (no date announced) for Beacon/Universal by Arthur C. Clarke/Rafael Yglesias/David Franzoni (who wrote Gladiator/Amistad/King Arthur, etc)…and directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry).
Rakoshi is one of those 25 projects, but no director is listed for it.
Lastly we should consider the most recent screenwriter to work on the much improved script…Chris Morgan…the one bit of good fortune in the, thus far, tragic story that is Beacon’s efforts on the Repairman Jack Movie.
A relative newcomer to screenplays, Morgan has been gaining popularity in Hollywood steadily since Cellular in 2004, which made about $36,000,000 world-wide (about $12,000,000) above its estimated budget.
Morgan’s next produced feature was Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift; generally considered to be a decent sequel, albeit peripherally related to the original FF movie. …Tokyo Drift made about $80,000,000 worldwide
His profile increased with Wanted in 2008 where he helped the comic series’ creators write the screenplay for a hit movie. Wanted pulled in over $150,000,000 and talk is already flying about a sequel or three.
His Sakura project should be out this year as well.
In 2009, the actual sequel to the original The Fast And The Furious (currently filming) is set for release, with all the original cast returning. Morgan wrote the screenplay for the David Ayer story (Ayer wrote the screenplay for the original FF movie).
Besides Repairman Jack I, Morgan has also penned as yet, un-produced scripts for The Psycho and The Darkness comic book adaptations, the Gears of War movie based on the video game (remember the popular Mad World song advert, from a few years back), and upcoming thrillers Nautica, Shell Game and Paris to Dakar.
As Morgan’s star rises, the chance that his screenplay for Repairman Jack I will be produced rises as well. So, if you love Repairman Jack, then you better hope that the FF sequel does gonzo box-office next summer and Morgan’s star continues to climb.
Where does that leave the Repairman Jack Movie?
The production company is small and, despite finding a capable screenwriter to improve the script, cannot seem to close the deal with any acceptable directors. The Producer has dozens of projects to work on and prioritizing the FPW project doesn’t seem to rate high on his list. The screenwriter is gaining popularity, but is not such a sure thing yet that his scripts are considered a “lock”
All of these factors point to production on the Repairman Jack Movie not commencing until at least 2010 at the earliest, meaning that the movie will not arrive in theatres until 2011 at the earliest. It is not however any stretch to imagine that those dates could easily be pushed by a year or two. That leaves just enough time to release the movie before the end of the world (according to the Incan calendar) occurs in 2013.
What do you think?
-Wapitikev
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - bones weep tedium - 08-05-2008
Why did the font change in the middle of your post? Surely not all of that is from FPW's blog? Did you spazz it up a little? :confused:
I don't think we'll ever see an RJ movie. Not until Beacon's option runs out and FPW can sell it to a film studio that actually makes movies.
Waiting on these dead beats to make RJ is like -> :mad2:
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Wapitikev - 08-05-2008
bones weep tedium Wrote:Why did the font change in the middle of your post? Surely not all of that is from FPW's blog? Did you spazz it up a little? :confused:
I don't think we'll ever see an RJ movie. Not until Beacon's option runs out and FPW can sell it to a film studio that actually makes movies.
Waiting on these dead beats to make RJ is like -> :mad2:
No, it's not all from FPW...I wrote the main body of the message in Word and then pasted it into the web-browser...at 3:00am. At that hour, Verdana and Tahoma look pretty much the same to me.
I have changed it to all look the same. I hope it no longer violates your delicate, aesthetic taste. :hand:
Unfortunately, I cannot recall FPW ever mentioning anything about an "option." If that is indeed the case, there may be no time limit on Beacon's rights to the character, which means we might never see a Jack Movie of any kind if things continue on the way you suggest.
-Wapitikev
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - bones weep tedium - 08-05-2008
Wapitikev Wrote:No, it's not all from FPW...I wrote the main body of the message in Word and then pasted it into the web-browser...at 3:00am. At that hour, Verdana and Tahoma look pretty much the same to me.
I have changed it to all look the same. I hope it no longer violates your delicate, aesthetic taste. :hand:
Unfortunately, I cannot recall FPW ever mentioning anything about an "option." If that is indeed the case, there may be no time limit on Beacon's rights to the character, which means we might never see a Jack Movie of any kind if things continue on the way you suggest.
-Wapitikev
Still too long. Sort it out. Aesthetic taste reaching critical thresh holds!! :cryin:
If there was a time limit it probably would have expired by now anyway. Pity. Beacon are about as productive as a fart in a spacesuit.
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Scott Miller - 08-05-2008
Wapitikev Wrote:What do you think?
-Wapitikev
I think you're an insomniac.
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Wapitikev - 08-05-2008
Scott Miller Wrote:I think you're an insomniac.
Not exactly what I was looking for...but accurate, nonetheless.
-Wapitikev
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Wapitikev - 08-05-2008
And, in honour of the Repairman Jack Movie comencing filming in 2015, you can go here to see my proposed cast for that project.
-Wapitikev
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Aprilis - 08-06-2008
well then maybe we should take up a collection, buy the rights back and then sell them again to a company that will make a good movie out of Jack.
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - GeraldRice - 08-06-2008
If I'm not mistaken, FPW said Beacon's rights expired once before and they had to buy them again. I imagine they could expire again, although I have no idea when that would happen.
Odds of an RJ Movie by 2013? - Wapitikev - 08-06-2008
Aprilis Wrote:well then maybe we should take up a collection, buy the rights back and then sell them again to a company that will make a good movie out of Jack.
Aprilis, while I don't know how serious you are and while I would certainly be insterested in discussing such an initiative, please do not take the following negatively.
Before any discussion about “Solving the Beacon problem” gets going, we should stop and remind ourselves that FPW has a contract with Beacon and likely cannot condone any course of action by third parties that diminishes Beacon's rights or their value. Doing so would likely get him in legal hot water.
I defer to fellow board members who are lawyers to comment on whether allowing a detailed discussion to take place on his “Official Web-site” forum about "Solving the Beacon problem" could be construed by Beacon as FPW condoning negative comments about/actions against Beacon.
As an experienced layperson however, what I do know is: FPW's kind enough to provide us with an area on his Official (read as private) Web-site for our discussions. Although this forum seems public, it is, strictly speaking, owned by FPW and operated by agents of FPW (he pays them). As such, I try to edit my comments to something that does not get FPW in legal trouble.
Unless FPW explicitly tells us it is OK to discuss "Solving the Beacon problem" in detail, here, we may want to consider more private discussions like PMing or e-mail or a third party public forum such as yahoo groups, etc.?
So I’m erring on the side of caution and not gushing enthusiastically about your idea in this, open forum.
-Wapitikev