Joe Wright Will Direct Neil Gaiman's THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE Next

Deadline reports that director Joe Wright's (Hanna, Anna Karenia) next film will be based on the upcoming Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Stardust, Sandman) novel The Ocean At The End of The Lane.

The narrator describes a tale that begins when he was seven and a lodger stole the family’s car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and a menace unleashed — within his family, and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it. His only defense is three women, on a ramshackle farm at the end of the lane.

Roman Coppola Still Open To Making DOCTOR STRANGE, Neil Gaiman And Benedict Cumberbatch Need To Be Involved

Roman Coppola revealed a couple of weeks ago that he was once attached to make a live-action Doctor Strange film back in the days of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four. His vision never did make it to cameras and the company eventually created Marvel Studios to control quality. Roman has become a very accomplished screenwriter earning an Oscar nomination this year for co-writing Moonrise Kingdom with Wes Anderson. He previously worked as second unit director on films such as Dracula (cutting his teeth in the horror genre) and Lost In Translation. While promoting his new film Charlie Swan (which he directed) he commented if on he'd still be interested in making Strange to FlickeringMyth (via CBM). Marvel recently announced that the occult superhero would apart of their Phase Three lineup.

“Nowadays it’s over saturated with so many comic book movies. It has lessened in my mind. In the past, 15 to 20 years ago, when I talked about Doctor Strange most of the comic book movies were terrible. They’ve [I’m speaking of the Marvel Universe] managed to make them more true to the spirit of the comics as I recall reading them as a boy. If someone said to me, ‘We’d love you to do Doctor Strange. Run with it. What’s your take on it?’ I’d be delighted to have a shot at that but it seems that many comic book movies are made with a certain mentality that pervades all of them. If I had my choice I’d rather do an individualistic than a factory movie but you never know. I’m open to whatever adventure comes my way.” 

I'd love to see Coppola direct theres another name I'm dying to see get involved. That is legendary comic book writer/novelist Neil Gaiman. He's been invovled with the development of the Strange film back when Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct. Neil was tasked to come up with a script which ultimately also fell-threw. He's obsessed with Steve Ditko (who created Strange)  participating in Jonathan Ross' Searching For Steve Ditko documentary. Gaiman has enough geek credibility like Whedon to bring a faithful but cinematic take on the Sorcerer Supreme. His novel Stardust was adapted into a film by Matthew Vaughn. Gaiman wrote screenplays for Beowulf and Coraline along with two episodes of Doctor Who. Having Gaiman do re-writes on the existing script written by Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Donnelly or at least consulting is a must.

There has been rally to get Benedict Cumberbatch cast in the lead role. It's not hard to see why he would be perfect for the role with his series Sherlock amassing such a loyal international following. Not to mention film credits that include in Star Trek Into Darkness, War Horse, Atonement, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug/There And Back.

Warner Bros. Developing 'TEMPLE OF THE HEAVENS' Based On Chinese Mythology

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is developing another promising project titled Temple of Heaven which will be influenced on Chinese mythology. It's hard to see why this isn't a brilliant idea considering a majority of the Western fairy and fantasy tales are all now in-development or have already been made. There are so many legendary myths and tales from China that they could be using for this film. They've tapped Chad St. John (Motor City) to write an outline and could end up writing the script.

The most famous of these myths being Monkey or the Monkey King depending on the story he's usually depicted as a mischievous but heroic figure. Journey To The West being the most well-known of his tales which included a steady stream of Chinese fantasy creatures and lovable characters. The creators of The Gorillaz actually put together a musical stage production of Journey To The West which was beyond stunning. The Forbidden Kingdom was a loose western adaption of the Monkey story which had Jet Li in the role. That film was sort of successful mainly because it also infused classic Kung Fu film mythology as well.

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro (Blade 2, Hellboy 1-2) had been linked for a three-part Journey To The West film which Neil Gamien had been hired to write. After the final Hobbit being released in 2012 WB will have to find their next massive fantasy franchise. Journey could be perfect to fill that gap, making the leap that del Toro (who was going to direct The Hobbit) making them isn't a big one. Guillermo is finishing up work on Pacific Rim for the studio and seemingly left the Hobbit on good terms. The only issue at this point the project would need $300 million to produce and Warners isn't picked it up. James Cameron would be the project's 3D consultant which should peak massive interest.

Temple of Heaven could be just a reworking in general similar to what we've seen with Kung Fu Panda as an original property but taking influence from multiple Asian sources. Universal's 47 Ronin is rumored to be more supernatural than the traditional story and could infuse the vast Japanese lore as well. I could see Temple using a similar method to have more human looking characters than what we would see in a Journey To The West film.

Genesis Of The Doctor Strange Film

When is was announced a few years back that Marvel Studios would be bringing Doctor Strange to theaters some might have been asked themselves, why? The short answer is that a Doctor Strange movie has been in works since 1986. A slew of bad luck and good intentions were futile. Below is the history of the film's development which included nine different writers and five directors previously involved. It's interesting to see some of the names that were once attached at one time. Currently, Marvel hasn't named a director, cast or even a release date for the film.

-1986 Bob Gale (Writer) ?
-1992 Wes Craven (Writer/Director) Savoy Pictures
-1994 Columbia Pictures Acquires Film Rights
-1995 David S. Goyer (Writer) Columbia
-1997 Jeff Welch (Writer) Columbia
-1998/2000 Michael France (Writer) Columbia 
-1998/2000 Chuck Russell (Director) Columbia
-1998/2000 Stephen Norrington (Director) Columbia
-2001 Dimension Films Acquires Film Rights
-2001 David S. Goyer (Writer/Director) Dimension
-2001 Miramax Film Acquires Rights
-2005 Paramount Acquires Rights
-2008 Guillermo del Toro (Director) Paramount
-2008 Neil Gaiman (Writer) Paramount
-2009 Marvel Studios/Disney Takes Over Film
-2010 Thomas Donnelly/Joshua Oppenheimer (Writer) Marvel

Neil Gaiman Hired To Write Journey To The West Film, Guillermo Courted To Direct & James Cameron Will Consult

Variety reports that Neil Gaiman has been hired to write a film based on Journey To The West. The classic 500 year old tale that follows events that befall the Monkey King, armed with a magic staff, as he journeys with a monk, a pig spirit and a fish spirit to India to retrieve Buddha’s scrolls in an effort to find enlightenment.

They go on to say that Guillermo del Toro is being offered to direct while James Cameron would consult with the script and the 3D side of things. The tale was recently turned into a stage musical by the fellows behind the Gorillaz and I hope their artwork ends up being used as inspiration. While some might cringe to the idea of Westerners taking on the Asian tale it seems to be in good hands at the moment as everyone involved is respectful to original material.