Wednesday
Feb222012
Counsel Me This
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:38AM .
JA from MNPP here. Have you been following the rumor-mill over Ridley Scott's next movie? Until recently just the name "Ridley Scott" had become too encumbered by bad movies for me to get excited about what he was up to. The last movie of his that I like without reservations is Thelma and Louise, 21 years old now. So I have worried that "the Ridley Scott of today" is on a fool's errand, returning to the world of the Alien franchise... does he have anything of that caliber in him now? But that trailer for Prometheus is so good, you guys. So good! I've seen it about a dozen times and it still sends chills down my spine. Granted it's only a trailer - the movie could still be a mess. But it's been enough to draw me back into Ridley-Scott-sville.
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Aiding in me caring about what Ridley's doing next is the fact that what he's doing next is the first movie script written by The Road and No Country For Old Men author Cormac McCarthy, and that the actor circling the lead has been Michael Fassbender. That's a double-pow of awesomeness that trumps any misgivings I might have regarding Ridley. The film's to be called The Counselor, and they're selling it as "No Country For Old Men on steroids." So basically this thing will ejaculate in your eye and then slap you across the face. It's that manly! From its brief synopsis it sounds like Breaking Bad or Weeds to me, only with a fancy-pants lawyer getting in over his head with the drug-business instead of a high school teacher or sassy widow. .
Deadline reported last night that Fassbender has signed on for sure, and the actors they're looking at for the villain - and they can't help but foolishly conjure Javier Bardem's iconic turn as Anton Chigurh (don't set the bar so high right out of the gate, you guys) - are Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Brad Pitt. I'm Team Pitt all the way. He needs another good bad guy role right about now, and I'd love to see him go toe to toe with his Basterds co-star. What says you?
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Reader Comments (20)
Team Pitt
Cooper's native facial expression screams unintelligent--yet the man's fluent in French.
Without any reservations I can say that "American Gangster" was a great experience at the cinema. A film I enjoyed immensely and much more than "Juno" and "Michael Clayton" two of that year's Best Picture nominees.
and yeah, Jeremy Renner for the villain, he's a quicker actor than Pitt.
Pitt would be a PERFECT villain. The slow-burn, menacing type that can really draw an audience in. And an actorly showdown between him and Fassy would be glorious.
The maddening issue I have with Ridley Scott is that he has made a lot of very, very good movies, some of which I love, but I've yet to see him reach the same levels of genius that I've seen with the all-time greats. Is he underrated? Possibly, in the same way that a Sidney Lumet or Stephen Frears was/is. But I he hasn't directed anything as great as the Coens' No Country. And that's unfortunately his benchmark. It will probably be a very good film and I'll have to be fine with that.
With that said, Fassy vs. Pitt all the way.
How about someone we haven't seen a lot of recently, like Chitewel Ejiofor? I have nothing against the aforementioned actors, but I'm a big proponent of spreading the wealth, especially to give someone as talented as he is some love.
Strangely enough we'll actually be seeing Michael Fassbender and Chiwetol Ejiofor face off in Steve McQueen's next movie, called Twelve Years a Slave. I don't think they've filmed it yet but sometime this year.
This is clearly going to be the greatest movie ever made, Sir Ridley's spotty track record of late be damned.
@ Sawyer
Ridley Scott has "Alien" (1979) and that achievement alone helps him stand right up there with the greatest of the greatest.
Sounds like more recycling.
The question is who will direct this film. Dr. Ridley Jekyll (Alien, Blade Runner) or Mr. Ridley Hyde (Someone To Watch Over Me, G.I. Jane).
In any case, I'm also Team Pitt.
Jeremy Renner and "manly"... LOL.
This would be a great opportunity for Renner to get off the franchise train. But I'd like to see Pitt as a villain too.
So Team Pitt. Or Renner. I'd be happy with either.
Sorry Bradley!
Pitt is never the best choice for anything other than people who wont admit to being hopelessly attracted to him for whatever inexplicable reason.
Neither Bradley Cooper or Jeremy Renner have the acting chops nor physicality to act as a convincing threatening villain opposite Fassy.
Cooper and Renner are but boys compared to The Man that is Fassy.
Pitt is the only choice of the three. Though I think that Ryan Gosling would actually make a great villain and would act as a wonderful counter to the Fas.
the only thing that interested me about that trailer was seeing Noomi Rapace's name in it. Other than that - do we really need a bigger budget and more CGI retread of Aliens?
Based on his performances in The Town and Dahmer, I'll go with Renner. Definitely not Pitt, and I'm not interested in Cooper.
Feeling a bit less snarky this morning, I can admit that Scott has three bona-fide masterpieces to his credit: Alien, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise, which is more than some directors will ever enjoy. But that was an awfully long time ago; every time I see his name on a new project a little part of me perks up and hopes for another masterpiece on that level - but I think I've nearly given up the ghost in that regard (as has Scott, apparently.) I meant to be nicer this morning, didn't I? Oh dear.
"Though I think that Ryan Gosling would actually make a great villain and would act as a wonderful counter to the Fas."
While I agree, I would be so distracted especially with my brain going "AND.... they make out" every 5 seconds or so.
"While I agree, I would be so distracted especially with my brain going "AND.... they make out" every 5 seconds or so."
LOL. Though wouldn't your mind being fantasizing more along the lines of 'AND I make out with them both'? ;)
The more I think about it, the more I think that Fassy and the Gos should team up in a project. Think about it, they're both fabulous actors, fabulously handsome, and gifted with talent and charisma. This movie would appeal to the straight chicks and the gay men. Plus if it was an action flick, they'd grab the "joe and joanne moviegoer" types too.
I kind of wish someone else altogether. Either Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Kinnaman, Demian Bichir, the list goes on. The trickiest casting remains Malkina. So easy to picture exciting possibilities for Laura, Reiner and Westray, but not that many that sound perfectly tailored for Malkina.