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[FoneBone]

http://www.avary.com/rogeravary/journal/archive/2005_01_01_journalarchive.php#'110627233476046391'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman have joined forces with Steve Bing and Robert Zemeckis to bring the oldest written English language myth, Beowulf, to the big screen through the magic of performance capture. Zemeckis will direct from the screenplay by Avary and Gaiman. The project will be financed by Shangri-La Entertainment, which is currently in discussions with Sony Pictures Entertainment to distribute all of its feature films. The film will be produced by Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke. Martin Shafer will serve as executive producer along with Avary and Gaiman.

Zemeckis is the acclaimed Academy Award®-winning director of Forrest Gump as well as such major hit films as Castaway, What Lies Beneath, Contact, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Romancing the Stone and Death Becomes Her.

Avary, who is an actual Viking descendant, won an Academy Award for his collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction, and is the writer/director of such acclaimed films as Killing Zoe and The Rules of Attraction. Avary is currently finishing the screenplay adaptation of the hit Konami videogame, Silent Hill, for Producer Samuel Hadida and Tristar Pictures.

Gaiman is the Hugo and Nebula-Award winning author of such novels as American Gods and Coraline, and is best known as the creator of DC Comics' legendary Sandman. He wrote the English Language Script for the Miyazaki film Princess Mononoke. His first feature, MirrorMask, directed by Dave McKean, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival. His short film A Short Film About John Bolton was just released on DVD. Projects in development based on work by Gaiman include Coraline, which Henry Selick is writing and directing, and Stardust, with director Matthew Vaughn. Gaiman is writing and will be directing Death and Me, based on his DC Comics graphic novel Death: The High Cost of Living for New Line Cinema.

 

[Dan]

I was very intrigued when I first heard about this, and then less intrigued when I saw that it'd be another "performance capture" movie. I haven't bothered to see The Polar Express simply because the faces and lip-synching was too distracting just in the trailer. They need to advance this a lot more to make it more than an annoying gimmick. I guess that'll differentiate it from the other Beowulf flick that has already filmed though.

Now to wait for first takes on Mirrormask from its Sundance premiere...

 

[FoneBone]

I was very intrigued when I first heard about this, and then less intrigued when I saw that it'd be another "performance capture" movie.

Link? It's not mentioned in the PR...

 

[Dan]

Dude, it's in the first sentence.

 

[Prince of Space]

Too bad it's not Baywolf...

 

[border]

Gaiman is writing and will be directing Death and Me, based on his DC Comics graphic novel Death: The High Cost of Living for New Line Cinema.

When, dammit when?!

And what the fuck...."Death and Me"? *shakes head*

 

[FoneBone]

Dude, it's in the first sentence.

A winnar is me

Anyway, that sucks.

 

[Memles]

Having just read Beowulf...I think it's an interesting move. I'm not sure how else they'd do it if they want it to be realistic, but at the same time it should be interesting to see how performance capture works for a less modern and more medieval and fantasy-filled universe.

 

[Dan]

Having just read Beowulf...I think it's an interesting move. I'm not sure how else they'd do it if they want it to be realistic, but at the same time it should be interesting to see how performance capture works for a less modern and more medieval and fantasy-filled universe.

Well, if you want to see how it'd be done in a realistic fashion, just wait for Beowulf & Grendel.

I read it recently also, so I can see potential in the project from the plot's point of view, but I think the performance capture technique is sketchy at best. It has great potential for art design and all that, but the simple act of making humans look human and alive and not like creepy dolls is a big hurdle, especially for something like this.

I'm interested, but hesitant and skeptical. Sort of a shame we have to wait until 2006 to see the next performance capture movie, Monster House, to see what other real possibilities lie in the technique.

 

[sefskillz]

This is awesome news, except for the performance capture bit. Gaiman and Avary is such a neat combination. I remember reading about them doing this screenplay together over a weekend or something. Exciting news.

 

[Tarazet]

Too bad it's not Baywolf...

Baywolf? You mean the band, or Baywatch with wolves? (I'd pay extra to see that.)

 

[Eminem]

i wanna see how it looks when

Spoiler

Beowulf slices shit up under water

. should be fun.

 

[Particle Physicist]

the 13th warrior .. beowulf is already on screen.. slightly modified.. but its there..

i always liked grendel better than beowulf.. that could be a very interesting movie if done right..

 

[Prince of Space]

Baywolf? You mean the band, or Baywatch with wolves? (I'd pay extra to see that.)

Read Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors.

 

[Mama Smurf]

I can't believe I've never read Beowulf. I really should get it, I don't even know the basic story.

Somehow it's managed to pass me by completely. And if anyone mentions it, they only ever seem to talk about how old it is etc., I think they just assume the plot is well known, like Romeo & Juliet or something.

I'll see if my library has a copy tomorrow.

 

[Escape Goat]

Beowulf is cool but made my brain hurt trying to read it in high school.

 

[FoneBone]

i always liked grendel better than beowulf..

You mean the book Grendel, by John Gardner? Can't say I really cared for it -- I had to read it in my high school English class last year, and found it quite pretentious.

There was already a movie made based on it, although it's really, really obscure:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0082478/
http://www.stomptokyo.com/movies/g/grendelgrendelgrendel.html

 

[sefskillz]

I'll see if my library has a copy tomorrow.

Here's a translation of the Old English version... http://www.lone-star.net/literature/beowulf/

If you dig it, check out Grendel, which has already been mentioned. I enjoyed it.

 

[Axsider]

There can be only one BEOWULF:

 

[mightynine]

Too bad it's not Baywolf...

First thing I thought of.