web counter
 

Tous Pour Un, Un Pour Tous

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (34)

three-musketeers-1993.jpg

A few years ago, a producer over at Warner Brothers came up with a crazy idea of developing a movie about 19th century British private investigator that would be cool and appeal to the younger kids with the fanny packs and the novelty shirts. The result was Sherlock Holmes, a movie whose success — in my opinion — can all be attributed to one word: RobertDowneyJr.GuyRitchie.

That producer, Lionel Wigram — who also produced the first three Harry Potter flicks — decided he’d like to see if lightning could strike twice in the same place (and for our benefit, here’s hoping he’s standing in that spot if it does): Wigram has brought aboard Peter Straughan, who wrote the very good script for a very mediocre movie, The Men Who Stare at Goats, to see if he can contemporize The Three Musketeers for the big screen, which will focus more on the action and the sessiness (am I saying that right?)

Whether he succeeds will probably depend on a few factors: Can he get another Guy Ritchie-type director to modernize The Three Musketeers; can he get Robert Downey, Jr. to play all three musketeers; and can he compete with another Three Musketeers movie currently in development?

Wait, what? Two movies about a trio of characters few of us could give a rat’s ass are being developed simultaneously? Why yes, Charlotte. Paul W.S. Anderson is also developing a 3D version. And if there’s a race to production, here’s hoping, at least, that Lionel Wigram wins this race, cause a Three Musketeers video-game movie just doesn’t have a lot of allure.

Besides, how will you ever beat the all-star roster of Keifer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Chris O’Donnell? (And who’d have thought, 15 years ago, that those three would all have hit network shows?)

(Source: Variety via Slashfilm)









Each Time You Like, Share, Tweet or Stumble a Pajiba Post, An Angel Does the Paul Rudd Dance

← "The Lone Ranger" Finds a Screenwriter | Centurion Trailer →









Comments

I liked the Three Musketeers. And The Man in the Iron Mask.

... and the horribly fluffy Hollywood remake of Count of Monte Cristo.

I am waiting for Dumas to claw out of his grave to bitch-slap me in 3...2...1...

Posted by: twig at February 12, 2010 9:12 AM

Don't green-underline my words, bing. It makes me feel cheap.

Posted by: twig at February 12, 2010 9:13 AM

How can they make a Musketeer movie when Oliver Reed ain't doing Athos?

O wait, he's dead.

So there's the end of that.

This will be somtething like Jerry Bruckenheimer doing the Arthur saga, right?
'Cause Americans do french classics SOOOO Wel, right?

Posted by: Magiel at February 12, 2010 9:15 AM

I still prefer the 19th century swordplay in The Corsican Brothers.

Posted by: admin at February 12, 2010 9:25 AM

Besides, how will you ever beat the all-star roster of Keifer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Chris O’Donnell?

Expect to be hearing from the Oliver Platt Purists for this snub.

Posted by: branded at February 12, 2010 9:31 AM

Expect to be hearing from the Oliver Platt Purists for this snub.

I do love me some Oliver Platt.

Posted by: Sean at February 12, 2010 9:46 AM

Suck it, Rowles. Some of us would in fact give a rat's ass about a Musketeer movie (or two. or six). Give me 10 minutes to cross the building to commit some larceny and I will provide you a horde of research rats to prove it, asses and all.

All for one and one for all, bitches!

Posted by: ZombieScientist at February 12, 2010 9:48 AM

That's French for "Who Gives a Sh*t"

You, sir, are no francophile! Pas du tout!

Anywho... twig, I, too, enjoyed The Man in the Iron Mask, which had little if anything to do with my completely ridiculous and unjustifiable (or totally unexplainable crush on Gerard Depardieu, I'd like to say it was Cyrano, but it may have been his turn as Obelix, because, yea, I'm a dork). And I was a fan on The Count of Monte Cristo, too. Weird, though, the sequel, Passion of the Cristo didn't seem to follow the canon in the slightest...

But I think what I'm getting at here is that I'll see pretty much any period piece/swash-buckler that promises an inkling of franglais.

It is my weakness.

Merde.

Posted by: Kayanne at February 12, 2010 10:47 AM

If they get a decent fight director in there, I'll see it. I love watching good swordplay.

Posted by: KatSings at February 12, 2010 11:05 AM

Not to mention the Tim Curry-philes, branded.

Count me among those who actually like the Disney version in spite of themselves.

Posted by: Eep at February 12, 2010 11:13 AM

I do love me some Oliver Platt.

I had no idea that you'd be down with the O.P.P.s, Sean.

Posted by: branded at February 12, 2010 11:22 AM

I have long maintained that that must have been an INSANE set. Think about it. Keifer Sutherland, who we all know can party like a Rolling Stone. Charlie Sheen, well, the less said about that, the better. And you cannot tell me Oliver Platt can't throw down. I mean, Chris O'Donnell was probably one giant wet blanket, but who cares? Even a tame party with those three must have been like ancient freaking Rome.

Posted by: SavageCats at February 12, 2010 11:48 AM

fuck! WHY IS IT SO HARD TO STICK TO THE STORY?! It's an AWESOME STORY!!! NO NEED TO CHANGE IT! fUCK THE WORLD!

Posted by: figgy at February 12, 2010 11:53 AM

............and Tim Curry.

Posted by: SavageCats at February 12, 2010 12:10 PM

The awful 90's version of Musketeers was the first movie I feel asleep during. Just terrible! Regardless of all the Oliver Platt!

Posted by: EJ at February 12, 2010 12:31 PM

I fucking LOVE Man in the Iron Mask, if only because there is absolutely NO attempt at temporal-spatial continuity with the accents. I swear to god, every actor in that movie has their own idea of what accent their character should have, and they staunchly refuse to reach any sort of consensus.

Posted by: That Girl at February 12, 2010 12:35 PM

fuck! WHY IS IT SO HARD TO STICK TO THE STORY?! It's an AWESOME STORY!!! NO NEED TO CHANGE IT! fUCK THE WORLD!

Posted by: figgy at February 12, 2010 11:53 AM
Deep, calming breaths.

This is the benefit of having at least two different groups considering making another version... the more there are, the more likely it is that one of them will get it right.

Hell, we can hope that someone has the "revolutionary" idea to stick close to the source text in order to differentiate themselves from the pack.

Of course, then some marketing asshole will label it "The REAL Three Musketeers" and cut the trailer to a Queen song....

Perhaps figgy was right... FUCK THE WORLD!!!!1!!

Posted by: ZombieScientist at February 12, 2010 1:05 PM

If you can overlook every scene with DiCaprio, Man in the Iron Mask is a pretty good movie.

Posted by: jthomas666 at February 12, 2010 1:33 PM

Gad, this site is full of youngsters. If you're going to talk Three Musketeers, forget the Young Guns version, and talk about Oliver Reed and Richard Chamberlain and Charlton Heston and Michael York and Rachel Welch, damnit. That was a movie (or, actually, *two* movies after the studio had their way).

And The Man in The Iron Mask? The Count of Monte Cristo? Those are Richard Chamberlain TV movies -- accept no substitutes. If you haven't seen Tony Curtis eating the scenery in the second one, you haven't lived.

Posted by: Louise at February 12, 2010 1:41 PM

D'AAAAAAARTAGNAAAAAAAAAN (sorry I was like twelve when that movie came out and it cracked my twelve-year-old shit up).

Posted by: coveredinbees at February 12, 2010 1:45 PM

I don't know why, I can't stop laughing at Dustin trying to get 'sessiness' right.

I'm just waiting for a decent Count of Monte Cristo to come out. I mean how hard can it be to make a revenge movie where the avenged watches his betrayers go mad?

Posted by: Girl With Curious Hair at February 12, 2010 1:53 PM

I do love that movie randomly for the actors. BUTTTT wasn't there already a fight awesome 3 Musketeer's movie called "The Musketeer"? I mean...Tim mofo Roth was in it...sooo...

Posted by: Luke at February 12, 2010 1:54 PM

The '90s Three Musketeers is all about Rebecca DeMornay, and the sexual awakening of a young welldressed. Everything else is gravy.

And does anybody else notice how a movie about musketeers (gunmen) is all about swordplay instead?

Posted by: welldressed at February 12, 2010 2:02 PM

It's aalllllll for one and one for alllllllll...
Ahh the last gasps of adult contemporary music that was the early nineties. Wasn't that Sting, Brian Adams and Rod Stewart for the theme song? That is a lot of old man ball sweat in leather pants. After watching the superbowl last weekend I realize that all that song was missing was a little Roger Daltrey screaming randomly in the background.

Posted by: Jennifer at February 12, 2010 2:07 PM

............and Tim Curry.

Posted by: SavageCats at February 12, 2010 12:10 PM


Damn right. Because you know Tim Curry likes to get down.

Posted by: TK at February 12, 2010 2:24 PM

Luke, you're right. I just added The Musketeer to my Netflix queue. I do love me some Tim Roth.

Posted by: bonnie at February 12, 2010 3:39 PM

Louise, the first time I saw Austin Powers, all I could think was "Michael York! What is D'Artagnan doing in this movie!?" Also, Richard Chamberlain FTW.

I will watch no Dumas movies unless they guarantee the dream girl either dies or goes to a nunnery at the end. None of this redemption, "He was really your son", suddenly get over all your trauma/revenge fantasies and live happily ever after with Mercedes bullshit. Dumas could fucking write, and Hollywood has forgotten that it is time, and not them, that made him awesome.

Posted by: Anne (in Reno) at February 12, 2010 3:59 PM

I enjoyed the shit out of that 3 Musketeers movie with Kiefer, Charlie and Oliver. Highly enjoyable. In fact, I wish they'd show it on cable sometime (basic cable) so I could enjoy it again.

Posted by: Slash at February 12, 2010 4:11 PM

I'll take the bait. Oliver Platt is the shit. I have watched some poor movies because he was in them (Ready to Rumble, Diggstown) and he was great on West Wing. So I will go to war in his honor.

I'm also a sucker for certain period pieces (Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, The King Arthur legend, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday) and will go see them whenever they make a new one. However, I never saw King Arthur with Keira Knightley, don't know why.

Slash, they show Three Musketeers on the Encore stations from time to time. Can't help but watch it. And to this day, I'll never understand how Chris O'Donnell got so many roles. He's a black hole of acting, he sucks the joy out of any movie he is in.

Posted by: Rubble44 at February 12, 2010 6:23 PM

Though, the Disney version is insanely stupid fun. Everything about it is ridiculous, but everyone in it is clearly having a fucking blast, and you really can't fight that. So yes, I love that damn stupid movie.

Posted by: figgy at February 12, 2010 7:00 PM

Ah, Three Musketeers. I love me some Dumas! When I got the complete and unabridged version of the novel when I was 13 I re-read it at least twice a week for three years straight! Once there's sword fighting and witty banter I'm there!

If this new movie has no decent fight scenes with swords I will run amok!

Posted by: Four Eyes at February 12, 2010 7:40 PM

Nobody has yet managed to outdo Gene Kelly as d'Artagnan. That was a man who could fucking stagefight! & Lana Turner as Lady de Winter? Vincent Price as Richelieu? Awesome.

I totally loved the '93 one too though, especially if you edited out Chris O'Donnell and that fucking song.

Posted by: koj at February 12, 2010 8:33 PM

Preach it, Anne (in Reno, no less).

Posted by: Louise at February 12, 2010 9:54 PM

Gotta agree with Figgy.

The goddamn book's a classic because it's a classic! I can't even understand how the thought of changing anything enters into anyone's mind along he way. I mean, srsly. Does Boo Radley rappel out of the trees with night vision googles and bury a Rambo knife in the mean ol' racist's neck?

And yes, fuck the world there'll be no Oliver Reed.

Posted by: protoguy at February 13, 2010 6:27 AM