NEWS FLASH: Channing Tatum and Oliver Stone's 'Pinkville'...Sean Penn's Out and Bruce Willis Is In
As I reported in my project update a few days ago, Channing will be starring in Oliver Stone's Vietnam war drama 'Pinkville' after Chan completes filming his cameo in 'Step Up 2: The Streets' this summer and his untitled street fighting movie this fall.
Today's top stories on Variety.com and HollywoodReporter.com are reporting that instead of Sean Penn, it seems that veteran actor Bruce Willis has now been cast to star with Channing in 'Pinkville', which is budgeted to be around a $40 million film. Tom Cruise’s United Artists is said to be finalizing a deal with Stone to finance the movie.
This is a very cool announcement, because a $40 million budget with Tom Cruise's UA backing the film, plus Oliver Stone, plus Bruce Willis, plus Chan (of course) may just be putting this film on the road to blockbuster status!!! :-D
Hollywood Reporter also says that an actor by the name of Michael Pena is currently in talks to play the third lead role. If all goes as planned, Channing will be filming 'Pinkville' early next year.
Here's the Variety.com article that gives all of the newest details about the movie and the heroic characters that Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis will play:
United Artists Near Deal for 'Pinkville'
Oliver Stone drama stars Bruce Willis
Oliver Stone is heading back to Vietnam.He is closing a deal with United Artists to finance "Pinkville," a drama about the investigation of the 1968 My Lai massacre that he would direct. Pic would be distributed through MGM.
Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum will star. Mikko Alanne wrote the script.
A UA commitment could be finalized this week, putting the picture into production by early next year, with a budget of roughly $40 million.
It marks the fourth time Stone has directed a film set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, following Oscar winner "Platoon," "Heaven & Earth" and "Born on the Fourth of July." "Pinkville" also reunites the director with Tom Cruise, who starred in "Born on the Fourth of July" and who, with partner Paula Wagner, is now a co-owner of UA.
Willis will play Army Gen. William R. Peers, who supervised the investigation into the massacre by U.S. soldiers of as many as 500 My Lai villagers, most of them unarmed women, children and elderly.
Tatum will play Hugh Thompson, a helicopter pilot who, upon realizing what was happening below, put a stop to the killing by placing his craft between gunmen and the few villagers who were left, and telling his two shipmates to fire on the soldiers if they shot any more people. They airlifted the survivors and reported the carnage to superiors.
Pinkville is the description on a military map for the region where My Lai is.
Stone had been expected to follow "World Trade Center" with a drama about the CIA's attempt to catch Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan after 9/11.
Instead, he will tackle "Pinkville," which is set up as a mystery but explores the themes of barbarism and heroism. Thompson was initially excoriated for his actions, while Peers' revelation of one of the most atrocious acts in U.S. military history (and subsequent military cover-up) helped galvanize opposition to the war.
Alanne, who wrote and directed the 1997 docu "Voice of Dissent" about the LAPD and the murder of Sen. Robert Kennedy, most recently scripted "Notorious," about the killings of rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur.
Sources: Variety, Hollywood Reporter
1 comment:
Well, a couple of months ago I posted the comment wondering which role Channing Tatum would play in heartbreaking drama PINKVILLE by Oliver Stone. Today it’s known – pilot Hugh Thompson. I was right – Channing will play the main good fellow role in this screenplay. Great!!! Would like to sincerely wish him success.
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