Mark Romanek in Talks to Direct 'The Shining' Prequel, 'Overlook Hotel'

Mark Romanek is one of the best directors out there who nobody seems to know, and maybe it's because his output is so sporadic. He gained a lot of attention for 2002's One Hour Photo which had Robin Williams in arguably his darkest (and finest) performance, and most recently he directed the underrated sci-fi drama Never Let Me Go. He's been attached to some big studio projects since then with nothing really happening, but now he's shown interest in directing Warner Bros.' prequel to The Shining, titled Overlook Hotel.

Variety reports Romanek has entered talks to helm the origin tale that serves as a precursor to Stanley Kubrick's classic horror. Glenn Mazzarra, a writer on The Walking Dead, has written the script based on an unpublished prologue that Stephen King cut from the novel. He ended up writing a sequel titled Doctor Sleep that Warner Bros. hopes to bring to theaters, as well, basically turning The Shining into just another of their franchises. Overlook Hotel will be seen "through the eyes of its first owner, Bob T. Watson. A robber baron at the turn of the 20th century, Watson scaled the remote peaks of the Colorado Rockies to build the grandest resort in America, and a place he and his family would also call home."

This is a project WB has been developing for awhile, and earlier this year they were making offers to Alfonso Cuaron to direct. He turned it down but Romanek should make for a fitting alternative.  [Variety]

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Mark Romanek to Direct 'Boston Strangler' Starring Casey Affleck

It was  eight long years between Mark Romanek's breakthrough film, One Hour Photo (a personal favorite) and 2010's underrated Never Let Me Go, and for it appeared we were in a similar wait for his next effort. He was briefly attached to Disney's live-action Cinderella before that fell through and went to Kenneth Branagh, but now he's found another project that could be even better.

Romanek will direct Boston Strangler, which we learned about a year ago when Casey Affleck came aboard to star. Described as in the vein of David Fincher's Zodiac, the story scripted by Chuck MacLean follows a detective on the team designed to bring the infamous murderer (or murderers, depending on who you ask) of women to justice. The Boston Strangler was responsible for killing at least 13 women during the 1960s, and it was only last summer that Boston police closed the book on the case, linking one Albert DeSalvo to the crime, although there remain doubts.

No word on when filming will start, but Romanek can certainly handle darker material so this seems like a perfect match.[Variety]

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Mark Romanek exits Disney's 'Cinderella'

The slipper has come off of Disney's live-action adaptation of Cinderella, just as it seemed to be progressing quite nicely. Cate Blanchett had recently been set to play the evil stepmother, and actresses such as Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander, and Gabriella Wilde were in the running for the title role. But Deadline is now reporting that director Mark Romanek(Never Let Me Go) has departed the film due to clashes with the studio over the tone.

Apparently, Romanek's vision was simply too dark for the studio, who probably want it to be lighter and more accessible to general audiences.  I'm guessing they'd love it if it turned out like Mirror Mirror or along those lines. This isn't the first time Romanek has run into such an issue, having left The Wolfman for similar reasons. He lucked out on that one. My question is why they would pick Romanek for a film like this, anyway? His resume, which includes the psycho-drama One Hour Photo, don't peg him as the sort to do bright and cheerful.

Disney still plans to move forward with Cinderella this summer, and is actively seeking a director to step in so as to keep the schedule intact. Romanek's a great filmmaker, so hopefully he rebounds from this onto something more his speed.

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Mark Romanek turns down The Wolverine directing gig

Last month when we learned the eight finalists to replace Darren Aronofsky as director of The Wolverine, my clear  cut choice was  Mark Romanek. He might not be as big of a name as some of the others on the list, but he has a style reminiscent of Aronosfky's, and it would've been interesting to see what he might've brought to the clawed Canucklehead's adventure in Japan. Unfortunately it looks like I'm sh*t outta luck, because Romanek revealed to Digital Spy that he turned the job down. Poo.

Romanek: "That's just one of those stories that floated around. I was on their list, I received the script months ago. It didn't seem like my kind of thing.
"That script was a terrific version of that kind of thing, but not something I felt really passionate about."

Well at least he thought Christopher McQuarrie's script was pretty good. That makes me feel a lot better. The rest of the names left on the list don't do a hell of a lot for me, though. Antoine Fuqua(Brooklyn's Finest), Justin Lin(Better Luck Tomorrow), Jose Padilha(Elite Squad), Doug Liman(Go), Gavin O'Connor(Miracle), James Mangold(Walk the Line), and commercial director Gary Shore are all that's left.

A friend of a friend tells me that the choice is going to be Gavin O'Connor, which would be a solid choice. His latest film, Warrior, looks fantastic. It stars Joel Edgerton(Animal Kingdom) and Tom Hardy(The Dark Knight Rises) as brothers headed for an MMA showdown.

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The list of directors for The Wolverine narrowed down to eight

The pang of loss still hits me when I think about it too much. When Darren Aronofsky had to drop out of directing Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, the opportunity to see what the wildly creative auteur could do with a big budget comic book flick. 20th Century Fox has been pretty relaxed in seeking out a replacement, given additional time due to Hugh Jackman's schedule and all the turmoil going on in Japan right now. The bulk of Christopher McQuarrie's script takes place in the Land of the Rising Sun, a factor which contributed to Aronofsky's departure. So far we've heard Duncan Jones(Source Code) mentioned as a possible choice to direct, as well as David Slade(30 Days of Night), but neither accepted. Now Variety reports that Fox has narrowed their list of candidates down to eight, a healthy mix of indie and mainsteam.


The contenders are: Doug Liman(The Bourne Identity); Jose Padilha(Elite Squad); Antoine Fuqua(Training Day); Mark Romanek(Never Let Me Go); Justin Lin(Fast Five); Gavin O'Connor(Miracle); James Mangold(Knight and Day); and Gary Shore(???)

Out of this bunch, Romanek probably is closest to Aronofsky's indie sensibilities, and I'd love to see what the guy who made the disturbing One Hour Photo could do with a loner like Wolverine. But then part of me also wants to see a relatively fresh face take over. Padilha is a fast rising star who is already attached to the Robocop reboot, and could bring something new to the job. Gary Shore specializes in commercials, a popular launching pad of late. Fuqua, Liman, and Mangold are old hands and would be solid but likely wouldn't' add anything exciting. Lin is such a departure from Aronofsky that it just seems like a bad fit. I think I'm leaning towards Romanek here.

What do you think? Who would you like to see take over The Wolverine?

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Never Let Me Go

Imagine your life has already been laid out for you. The entire course of your future packaged as if it was rolled straight off an assembly line. In Never Let Me Go, Mark Romanek's disturbingly dreamy science fiction soap opera, destiny plays a cruel hand against three longtime friends just wishing for a normal life.

Tommy(Andrew Garfield), Ruth(Keira Knightley), and Claire(Carey Mulligan) are students at a seemingly upper class British academy called Hailsham.The headmistress, Miss Emily(Charlotte Rampling) raises her young charges in a stifling, dreadful atmosphere similar to M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. The kids are taught to fear the outside world and the people who roam it. Those who remain in the Hailsham's care are deemed special. They are raised to practice art, and maintain a prime level of physical condition. Claire has always had a crush on Tommy, an isolated boy with serious anger issues. Ruth is beautiful, but insecure. Her relationship with Claire is friendly, but icy.  When Ruth notices Tommy and Claire beginning a relationship, she jealously steals him away from her. As the three grow older, they remain friends even though Claire is secretly waiting for the two to break up.

It's not long before they find out exactly what Hailsham House's true secret is, thanks to a young, idealistic teacher(Sally Hawkins) unable to hold her tongue any longer. The students aren't being raised to be contributing members of society, at least not in the way most are. The kids at Hailsham are actually clones with the sole purpose of their lives to provide organs for "original" humans.  They are to find meaning in "completion", when the process of donating finally kills them. Some take years and multiple donations before completing. Some considerably less.

A horrific situation, one that any of us would fight with every fiber of our being to prevent. We're trained to expect, especially in movies, that the heroes will grow tired and angry with their pre-determine fate and do everything in their power to achieve happiness and freedom. Remember that expectation you have as you watch these three friends drift apart in adulthood, never once even contemplating the idea of escape. Claire becomes a caregiver of sorts to donors, treating them with respect and tending to their needs until completion. When they do complete, her reactions are muted, perhaps recognizing that the same fate will befall her at some point. The story is seen mostly through her eyes via Mulligan's silky narration.

Screenwriter Alex Garland keeps the horror of this dystopian world at a distance, which only adds to the creepiness.  The sterile efficiency of the donating process and the ghastly results on the living are treated with a disguieting normalcy. Mark Romanek, who's last film was 2002's One Hour Photo, mines some of the similar themes of loneliness and despair here.He shoots the film gorgeously, like your constantly waking up from a daytime sleep terror.  I just wish there was a bit more passion and energy. Everything seems to be operating on auto-pilot. 

Carey Mulligan is having one heck of a week. Not only is she one of the best things about Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, but she is just as commanding here in a role that couldn't be more different. Andrew Garfield, himself a rising star, doesn't have much to do but holds up pretty well. The surprise for me was Keira Knightley, shedding her good looks and dirtied up to tremendous effect. She has the most heart wrenching(literally) scene of the entire film.

There are so many potential stories buried deep in the heart of Never Let Me Go that it's a crime to focus just on this one idle love triangle. Fundamentally it's a story about the value of all life. How we're all sacred in some way. While the performances are brilliant and the story haunting, I wish these characters had fought to prove just how valuable their lives really are.

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