U.S. actor Robin Wright will be awarded the President’s Award at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s closing ceremony. In honor of Wright, it will screen “The Princess Bride.”
Wright is best known for her performance in Netflix series “House of Cards.” She earned three Golden Globe nominations and a win in 2014. She earned five Screen Actors Guild award nominations for the show, and received five consecutive Emmy nominations.
In 2017, Wright played Lieutenant Joshi in “Blade Runner 2049,” and Amazon warrior General Antiope in “Justice League” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” The following year, she reprised her role as Antiope in “Wonder Woman 1984.” She will be seen this Fall starring opposite Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film “Damsel,” and co-starring with Tom Hanks in “Here,” directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Her first two nominations, a Golden Globe and a SAG, came as early as 1995 for her...
Wright is best known for her performance in Netflix series “House of Cards.” She earned three Golden Globe nominations and a win in 2014. She earned five Screen Actors Guild award nominations for the show, and received five consecutive Emmy nominations.
In 2017, Wright played Lieutenant Joshi in “Blade Runner 2049,” and Amazon warrior General Antiope in “Justice League” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” The following year, she reprised her role as Antiope in “Wonder Woman 1984.” She will be seen this Fall starring opposite Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film “Damsel,” and co-starring with Tom Hanks in “Here,” directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Her first two nominations, a Golden Globe and a SAG, came as early as 1995 for her...
- 6/20/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Film
For every movie fan there are probably several films they can count as milestones, movies that became big parts of our viewing, even of our lives. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was one of those for me. It came out at the perfect time, when I was 10. The screenplay had simple heroism, the villain was an obvious baddie you could boo and hiss at if the mood took you, there was plenty of action and even as a cut PG, it stretched the edges of its certification to a point that was an intense and sometimes scary experience for a relatively young kid. I loved it. Along with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves became one of my first favourite movies. It was one of the reasons we first got a TV for the house, and a Vcr to go with it, and...
For every movie fan there are probably several films they can count as milestones, movies that became big parts of our viewing, even of our lives. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves was one of those for me. It came out at the perfect time, when I was 10. The screenplay had simple heroism, the villain was an obvious baddie you could boo and hiss at if the mood took you, there was plenty of action and even as a cut PG, it stretched the edges of its certification to a point that was an intense and sometimes scary experience for a relatively young kid. I loved it. Along with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves became one of my first favourite movies. It was one of the reasons we first got a TV for the house, and a Vcr to go with it, and...
- 11/30/2022
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves almost had a shocking, different King Richard cameo at the end of the film.
Screenwriter and producer Pen Densham revealed during a previous conversation with the International Screenwriters’ Association that there was a push, presumably from the studio, for John Cleese to play King Richard at the end of the film, which turned 30 on Monday.
Densham said that move would undercut all the picture tried to accomplish. “I couldn’t stomach that because I felt all of the care, all of the investment, all the love, all the effort that the characters were playing ...
Screenwriter and producer Pen Densham revealed during a previous conversation with the International Screenwriters’ Association that there was a push, presumably from the studio, for John Cleese to play King Richard at the end of the film, which turned 30 on Monday.
Densham said that move would undercut all the picture tried to accomplish. “I couldn’t stomach that because I felt all of the care, all of the investment, all the love, all the effort that the characters were playing ...
- 6/14/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves almost had a shocking, different King Richard cameo at the end of the film.
Screenwriter and producer Pen Densham revealed during a previous conversation with the International Screenwriters’ Association that there was a push, presumably from the studio, for John Cleese to play King Richard at the end of the film, which turned 30 on Monday.
Densham said that move would undercut all the picture tried to accomplish. “I couldn’t stomach that because I felt all of the care, all of the investment, all the love, all the effort that the characters were playing ...
Screenwriter and producer Pen Densham revealed during a previous conversation with the International Screenwriters’ Association that there was a push, presumably from the studio, for John Cleese to play King Richard at the end of the film, which turned 30 on Monday.
Densham said that move would undercut all the picture tried to accomplish. “I couldn’t stomach that because I felt all of the care, all of the investment, all the love, all the effort that the characters were playing ...
- 6/14/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Foresight Unlimited represents international sales on Vietnam War-related drama.
Jeremy Irvine, Ethan Russell, Ser’Darius Blain, Zach Roerig, and Cody Walker have joined Todd Robinson’s The Last Full Measure.
Mark Damon’s Foresight Unlimited handles international sales and serves as producer alongside Provocator and Sss Entertainment on the project.
Production has wrapped in Atlanta and relocates to Thailand where the young cast will go through boot camp in preparation for the action sequences.
The new additions join lead Sebastian Stan as a Pentagon investigator working on the case of a Medal Of Honor candidate to be played by Irvine (pictured) who served many years earlier as a pararescue officer in the Vietnam War.
Previously announced cast includes Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Amy Madigan, Bradley Whitford, James Jagger, John Savage, Michael Imperioli, Linus Roache, LisaGay Hamilton, Robert Pine, and Alison Sudol.
“As The Last Full Measure moves into the Vietnam battle stage of...
Jeremy Irvine, Ethan Russell, Ser’Darius Blain, Zach Roerig, and Cody Walker have joined Todd Robinson’s The Last Full Measure.
Mark Damon’s Foresight Unlimited handles international sales and serves as producer alongside Provocator and Sss Entertainment on the project.
Production has wrapped in Atlanta and relocates to Thailand where the young cast will go through boot camp in preparation for the action sequences.
The new additions join lead Sebastian Stan as a Pentagon investigator working on the case of a Medal Of Honor candidate to be played by Irvine (pictured) who served many years earlier as a pararescue officer in the Vietnam War.
Previously announced cast includes Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Amy Madigan, Bradley Whitford, James Jagger, John Savage, Michael Imperioli, Linus Roache, LisaGay Hamilton, Robert Pine, and Alison Sudol.
“As The Last Full Measure moves into the Vietnam battle stage of...
- 8/1/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Westworld star boards Pentagon drama.
Westworld star Ed Harris is the latest prestige element to join drama The Last Full Measure, which Foresight Unlimited is selling here at the market.
Director Todd Robinson is currently shooting the film in Atlanta and Costa Rica. Sebastian Stan leads the cast as a Pentagon official investigating the record of a dead Vietnam War rescue officer eligible for the Medal Of Honor.
Harris will play a survivor from the war who is interviewed by the Pentagon investigator.
Harris is riding high on the back of rave reviews for Westworld and will be seen later this year in Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!
Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Grant Gustin, Michael Imperioli, Diane Ladd and Bradley Whitford also star.
The producers roster includes Timothy Scott Bogart, Foresight Unlimited head Mark Damon, Nicholas Cafritz, Robert Reed Peterson, Shaun Sanghani, Louis Steyn, T.J. Steyn, Julian Adams, [link...
Westworld star Ed Harris is the latest prestige element to join drama The Last Full Measure, which Foresight Unlimited is selling here at the market.
Director Todd Robinson is currently shooting the film in Atlanta and Costa Rica. Sebastian Stan leads the cast as a Pentagon official investigating the record of a dead Vietnam War rescue officer eligible for the Medal Of Honor.
Harris will play a survivor from the war who is interviewed by the Pentagon investigator.
Harris is riding high on the back of rave reviews for Westworld and will be seen later this year in Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!
Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Grant Gustin, Michael Imperioli, Diane Ladd and Bradley Whitford also star.
The producers roster includes Timothy Scott Bogart, Foresight Unlimited head Mark Damon, Nicholas Cafritz, Robert Reed Peterson, Shaun Sanghani, Louis Steyn, T.J. Steyn, Julian Adams, [link...
- 5/19/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Mark Damon and Tamara Birkemoe will start pre-sales on the Croisette this week on the drama starring Scott Eastwood and Ed Harris.
Laurence Fishburne is in final negotiations and Morgan Freeman in discussions to join The Last Full Measure, which Todd Robinson will direct from his screenplay.
Principal photography is scheduled to commence in September on the true story that follows efforts by a Pentagon investigator who teams up with Vietnam War veterans to posthumously award Air Force medic William Pitsenbarger the Medal Of Honor.
Lauren Selig, John Watson, Pen Densham, Julian Adams, Howard Burd and Foresight’s Mark Damon will produce, while Foresight’s Tamara Birkemoe serves as executive producer with Sidney Sherman.
Eastwood will be seen this summer in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad for Warner Bros and Oliver Stone’s Snowden for Open Road Films.
Harris recently wrapped production on the Untitled Warren Beatty Project for New Regency Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and...
Laurence Fishburne is in final negotiations and Morgan Freeman in discussions to join The Last Full Measure, which Todd Robinson will direct from his screenplay.
Principal photography is scheduled to commence in September on the true story that follows efforts by a Pentagon investigator who teams up with Vietnam War veterans to posthumously award Air Force medic William Pitsenbarger the Medal Of Honor.
Lauren Selig, John Watson, Pen Densham, Julian Adams, Howard Burd and Foresight’s Mark Damon will produce, while Foresight’s Tamara Birkemoe serves as executive producer with Sidney Sherman.
Eastwood will be seen this summer in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad for Warner Bros and Oliver Stone’s Snowden for Open Road Films.
Harris recently wrapped production on the Untitled Warren Beatty Project for New Regency Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and...
- 5/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Fast-rising Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad) and Ed Harris (Pollock) will star in The Last Full Measure for Emmy winner Todd Robinson (The Legend Of Billy The Kid), who directs based on his screenplay. Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) is in final negotiations to board the project with Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) also in discussions to star. Production is set to begin this September. Lauren Selig, John Watson, Pen Densham, Julian Adams, Howard Burd and Mark…...
- 5/9/2016
- Deadline
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Deep Impact Vs Armageddon is not the only time similar movies have landed around the same time...
Usually, a competing project is poison for a studio. Especially in the era now where a blockbuster costs the national budget of a small country to get out into the world, you don't want to be up against a film with similar subject matter.
Yet this keeps happening, time and time again. Even now, there are two live action Jungle Book movies in various stages of production, for example. And let us not forget when K-9 and Turner And Hooch once did battle...
But how have the movie showdowns of old turned out? And are there any instances where everyone's a winner?
Er, not many as it happens...
The Haunting Vs The House On Haunted Hill
Let's start with two reasonably budgeted horror films, that both got wide releases. Jan De Bont...
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Deep Impact Vs Armageddon is not the only time similar movies have landed around the same time...
Usually, a competing project is poison for a studio. Especially in the era now where a blockbuster costs the national budget of a small country to get out into the world, you don't want to be up against a film with similar subject matter.
Yet this keeps happening, time and time again. Even now, there are two live action Jungle Book movies in various stages of production, for example. And let us not forget when K-9 and Turner And Hooch once did battle...
But how have the movie showdowns of old turned out? And are there any instances where everyone's a winner?
Er, not many as it happens...
The Haunting Vs The House On Haunted Hill
Let's start with two reasonably budgeted horror films, that both got wide releases. Jan De Bont...
- 10/14/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Simon Brew Jun 14, 2019
We look at how Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves came to be, what worked, and what didn't.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
It tends to be a forgotten fact that, in the late 1980s, there were actually three competing Robin Hood projects fighting for a greenlight. A trio of separate scripts were being developed by Tristar Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Morgan Creek Productions, and the only one that would go forward to become a movie would, ultimately, be the Robin Hood screenplay that Kevin Costner decided he wanted to make.
Of the three, the Tristar project was apparently barely in the running. But for a long time, it looked as if 20th Century Fox would win this particular race. It had a director on board, with John McTiernan – hot off the back of Die Hard and in the midst of The Hunt For Red October...
We look at how Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves came to be, what worked, and what didn't.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
It tends to be a forgotten fact that, in the late 1980s, there were actually three competing Robin Hood projects fighting for a greenlight. A trio of separate scripts were being developed by Tristar Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Morgan Creek Productions, and the only one that would go forward to become a movie would, ultimately, be the Robin Hood screenplay that Kevin Costner decided he wanted to make.
Of the three, the Tristar project was apparently barely in the running. But for a long time, it looked as if 20th Century Fox would win this particular race. It had a director on board, with John McTiernan – hot off the back of Die Hard and in the midst of The Hunt For Red October...
- 12/8/2014
- Den of Geek
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The Kevin Costner-headlined Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is a darker blockbuster than people seem to remember...
This article contains spoilers for Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. It is entirely illustrated with pictures of the late, great Alan Rickman. It was written and originally published before his death earlier this year.
It tends to be a forgotten fact that, in the late 1980s, there were actually three competing Robin Hood projects fighting for a greenlight. A trio of separate scripts were being developed by Tristar Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Morgan Creek Productions, and the only one that would go forward to become a movie would, ultimately, be the Robin Hood screenplay that Kevin Costner chose he wanted to make.
Of the three, the Tristar project was apparently barely in the running. But for a long time, it looked as if 20th Century Fox would win this particular race. It had a director on board, with John McTiernan – hot off the back of Die Hard and in the midst of The Hunt For Red October – set to make its Robin Hood film. And at that stage, it was the most advanced of the projects.
Costner, while this was going on, was making his directorial debut, Dances With Wolves, and was determined not to get boxed in on screenplay changes as he had done on the film before that, Tony Scott’s Revenge. He took a meeting or two with McTiernan with that in mind, and things looked like they might happen.
"Wait a minute. Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public, and they love him for it?"
The problem was that Fox’s script wasn’t ready enough, and also that McTiernan was also interested in a different, new project with Sean Connery (that ultimately didn’t get made). Upcoming independent Morgan Creek thus moved quickly (having originally sought and failed to get Mel Gibson for the role of its Robin), and pulled a masterstroke by hiring one of Costner’s best friends, Kevin Reynolds, to direct.
Reynolds had directed Costner before on the really very good Fandango, and his involvement – along with a screenplay from Pen Densham and John Watson that was willing to go broader than the traditional Robin Hood legend – led Costner committing to Prince Of Thieves. The Fox and Tristar projects shut down shortly after (although a competing Robin Hood movie, starring Patrick Bergin, would get a UK cinema release in 1991, heading straight to telly in the States).
Yet even with Costner and Reynolds on board, the difficult days were still ahead. It didn’t help that, when Reynolds signed on, he had just a month and a half to prepare a movie that was mainly shooting in the UK. Reynolds, a Texan, would also have to factor in that the movie was not only filming thousands of miles from home, but also that he was shooting in a British winter ("I think the weather in particular was a problem on that shoot because we were shooting in the fall, and especially up north, we had a lot of weather problems, all very rainy and all", he told us). The locations – not one of them the actual Sherwood Forest – would afford Reynolds and his crew comparably few hours of decent daylight a day. It would not be long before Robin Hood would run over schedule. And time was already tight.
Perhaps the first sign of problems came just ahead of shooting. Robin Wright had been cast in the role of Maid Marian, but discovered she was pregnant. Four days before cameras were set to roll, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was drafted in (the film would then overrun, causing - and don't say we never give you killer bits of trivia - her wedding licence to lapse), more than holding her own in the part. That said, she would pinpoint many people’s feelings about Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves when she said in a 2009 Sunday Herald interview that “It felt like different films, different attitudes, and I’d have much rather been in Alan Rickman’s film. I wanted to do what he was doing”. So let’s start there.
"You, my room, 10.30 tonight. You, 10.45... and bring a friend"
You don’t need us to tell you that the most fun moments in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves centre around the last outright villain Alan Rickman has played on screen, the Sheriff of Nottingham. He turned the role down a couple of times before eventually agreeing (Sam Neill and Richard E Grant were considered, too), on the condition that he could have relatively free reign with the part.
There’s not a line in the film he doesn’t deliver deliciously, and the story goes that the film was re-edited to take bits of Rickman out, and put more of Costner in, such was the Sheriff’s dominance of the movie.
As it turned out, a longer cut would emerge later on DVD and Blu-ray, and it’s the 148 minute version that’s now available on the UK disc release. Oddly enough though, adding more Rickman makes the film a little weaker. The longer cut explores in more detail his relationship with the bizarre Mortianna, revealing more backstory - specifically that she's his mother - and adds in his worshipping at the altar of dual Gods. But it slows down an already bloated film, weakens the character a little and the leaner cut – which even then, isn’t too lean – is arguably the best.
Not that that either appears to be the director’s cut. Most stories about Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves tend to centre on the sizeable disagreement and falling out between Costner and Reynolds, that led to the latter having his cut of the film taken away from him. Costner (who reportedly did some second unit directing) and his producers instead assembled the final version – as they would do with Waterworld, Costner and Reynolds’ next collaboration – and the director was not impressed with it. However, he didn’t hold the cards here, and whilst the final cut was approved by a director called Kevin, it wasn’t the Kevin who actually helmed the film.
Again, we spoke to Kevin Reynolds back in 2008, and he admitted he was pleased that the longer version had seen the light of day in the end. "What you really wish is that the original version had been that, the original release had been your version. But yeah, to some extent I am happy that people saw more of what I intended", he told us. "But... you'd make yourself crazy if you constantly dwelt on it. I sort of don't understand filmmakers that can go back ten, fifteen years later and want to re-work their film or restore it, because you have to let it go".
"I had a very sad childhood, I'll tell you about it sometime. I never knew my parents; it's amazing I'm sane"
Rewatching Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, time hasn’t altered at all the rights and wrongs of it. Its introduction of Azeem, the Moor companion that Robin befriends in a savage scene in Jerusalem at the start of the movie (Costner had been keen that we saw backstory of Robin outside of Sherwood Forest) gave Morgan Freeman a decent, if unexpected role. It’s one of the biggest deviations from the Robin Hood legend, but in fairness, it lends the film its best non-Rickman comedy moments (co-writer Pen Densham went on to say in an interview abut including Azeem that "I was told it was a stupid idea by studios, so overcoming those objections made it worth the effort").
And at times, it needs that early comedy. It takes 40 minutes or so for Robin to finally set foot in pretend Sherwood Forest and meet those who will become his merry men, and the journey there is surprisingly dour. A cast iron example of its seriousness: the film has Brian Blessed appear in its opening ten minutes or so, and promptly kills him. What's going on there?
In fairness, we have met the two villains of the piece in that time. And we get our introduction to Alan Rickman's Sheriff. Take his gleeful promise to "cut out your heart with a spoon" as just one example of what he does right here. It's delivered with delicious, pitch-perfect villainy, one step short of winking at the audience (in fact the film does break the fourth wall, right at the end, with such a wink). But let's not forget Michael Wincott's hardly cheery and really quite intimidating Guy Of Gisborne. He rarely gets mentioned when people talk about the film and his work here is actually really good.
It's useful, because - and I say this as a huge fan of the man - Costner's isn't so much. He pitches his Robin as an anti-Errol Flynn, but the first time I saw the film, the cinema erupted in a guffaw when he said in his California tone "this is English courage". As the film went on, Costner wisely abandoned any attempt at an English accent, and his performance thus improved. Furthermore, his comedy moments are strong. Comedy has always been a Costner strength, and is again here.
That said, the accent criticisms would stick, and Mel Brooks would have fun with it in his spoof inspired by Prince Of Thieves, Robin Hood: Men In Tights. When his Robin Hood, Cary Elwes, says "this Robin speaks with an English accent", Men In Tights gets one of its few laughs right there.
"Cut out his heart with a spoon"
It'd be remiss too not to mention a few other standouts.
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is the only film to date that brings Kevin Costner and Elmo from Brush Strokes together on the big screen (to date, anyway, depending on Howard Lew Lewis' schedule). And the merry men feature no shortage of fun characters: step forward Nick Brimble's grand Little John, Soo Drouet as his wife, Fanny (behave), and the marvellous Michael McShane as Friar Tuck. It's a grand ensemble.
There's also another American accent in the mix, this time belonging to Christian Slater's Will Scarlett (a role once earmarked for Johnny Depp). It's credit to the writers here that they tried to deepen the story with the twist about Will being Robin's brother, even if Slater's stroppy looks probably gave the game away a bit earlier. Slater also improvised the "fuck me, he cleared it" line, that had to be cut from the UK release to earn a PG rating (14 seconds were chopped in all).
That said, BBFC chief James Ferman would express that his only regret on his retirement was allowing Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves through with such a soft certificate. He had a point. This is a brutal, violent film, with a surprisingly nasty edge for a family movie. And there's also the ending of the film, which leaves a really sour taste.
Up until the final act, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is generally enormous fun (appreciating the downbeat early scenes, and the remarkably adept blind man, Duncan). Reynolds - shooting his arrows at 300 frames a second - has a busy camera, that he's willing to point wherever he needs to keep the film moving. His action moments - clearly practical - are strong, and the arrows of fire being launched into the Sherwood camp make for an excellent sequence. He breathlessly mixes up action and comedy, and then takes time to set up a potentially brilliant final sequence, as Robin and chums must halt the Sheriff's wedding, and save ten of their men - one of whom is John and Fanny's son - from being hanged.
What leaves the sour taste is that it's underpinned by a prolonged scene of attempted rape. Even more sourly, it's shot from an audience point of view. And at the time of the film's release, nobody (including me) seemed to notice.
I certainly notice it now, and what makes it doubly unpleasant and disturbing is that it's played for comedy. As the Sheriff tries to have his way with Marian, he's firing out one liners. There's not a blockbuster film now that could or should get away with that as Robin Hood does here. Arguably, Robin Hood shouldn't have done either.
In an era where films such as Die Hard have been downgraded to 15 from 18, it's interesting that Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is one of the few to have gone the other way. The disc release, with the original 142 minute cinema cut we saw in the UK is now a 12, and even then, there's a sense the BBFC is being a bit generous.
"God bless you, Fanny! And God bless Robin Hood!"
Before I wrap up, It'd be remiss not to touch on the music. Bryan Adams' infamous song would spend longer at the top of the British singles chart that any before it or since.
But more interestingly, Michael Kamen's energetic score to Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, is brilliant. Kamen died of a heart attack at the age of just 55, and it's one of several excellent scores he penned in his lifetime. It's a tragedy we never got to hear more.
Still, revisiting Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves has been interesting for me. I've always liked the film an awful lot, but my reservations about the ending grow with each viewing. It just doesn't feel right. It did not stop the film from being a massive hit, though.
For Costner, he wouldn't just come through the criticism of his performance unscathed, he'd emerge with a huge success. What's particularly notable about Kevin Costner at the height of his movie star days is that he didn't get there by being symbolised with a gun in his hand. Granted, he had a gun in scenes in a few of his films, yet that wasn't the image of him. At a point when Arnold Schwarzenegger was the world's other biggest movie star, the difference between the two was firmly pronounced.
Costner and Reynolds would patch up their differences, only to fall out in even more spectacular style on Waterworld (only to patch up their differences again and reunite for Hatfield & McCoys). But with Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, against considerable odds, they fashioned an often hugely entertaining - and hugely uncomfortable - blockbuster, with an immense villain.
And yep, even Sean turning up at the end still raises a smile. Even though his surprise cameo was widely leaked even before the world wide web routinely did that sort of thing for you...
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See related The top 10 movie performances of Alan Rickman The top 25 Kevin Costner films Looking back at Kevin Costner films: The Bodyguard Kevin Reynolds: The Den Of Geek interview Field Of Dreams revisited: why it still hits me every time Movies Feature Simon Brew Kevin Costner 14 Jun 2016 - 06:49 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Sean Connery Alan Rickman...
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The Kevin Costner-headlined Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is a darker blockbuster than people seem to remember...
This article contains spoilers for Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. It is entirely illustrated with pictures of the late, great Alan Rickman. It was written and originally published before his death earlier this year.
It tends to be a forgotten fact that, in the late 1980s, there were actually three competing Robin Hood projects fighting for a greenlight. A trio of separate scripts were being developed by Tristar Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Morgan Creek Productions, and the only one that would go forward to become a movie would, ultimately, be the Robin Hood screenplay that Kevin Costner chose he wanted to make.
Of the three, the Tristar project was apparently barely in the running. But for a long time, it looked as if 20th Century Fox would win this particular race. It had a director on board, with John McTiernan – hot off the back of Die Hard and in the midst of The Hunt For Red October – set to make its Robin Hood film. And at that stage, it was the most advanced of the projects.
Costner, while this was going on, was making his directorial debut, Dances With Wolves, and was determined not to get boxed in on screenplay changes as he had done on the film before that, Tony Scott’s Revenge. He took a meeting or two with McTiernan with that in mind, and things looked like they might happen.
"Wait a minute. Robin Hood steals money from my pocket, forcing me to hurt the public, and they love him for it?"
The problem was that Fox’s script wasn’t ready enough, and also that McTiernan was also interested in a different, new project with Sean Connery (that ultimately didn’t get made). Upcoming independent Morgan Creek thus moved quickly (having originally sought and failed to get Mel Gibson for the role of its Robin), and pulled a masterstroke by hiring one of Costner’s best friends, Kevin Reynolds, to direct.
Reynolds had directed Costner before on the really very good Fandango, and his involvement – along with a screenplay from Pen Densham and John Watson that was willing to go broader than the traditional Robin Hood legend – led Costner committing to Prince Of Thieves. The Fox and Tristar projects shut down shortly after (although a competing Robin Hood movie, starring Patrick Bergin, would get a UK cinema release in 1991, heading straight to telly in the States).
Yet even with Costner and Reynolds on board, the difficult days were still ahead. It didn’t help that, when Reynolds signed on, he had just a month and a half to prepare a movie that was mainly shooting in the UK. Reynolds, a Texan, would also have to factor in that the movie was not only filming thousands of miles from home, but also that he was shooting in a British winter ("I think the weather in particular was a problem on that shoot because we were shooting in the fall, and especially up north, we had a lot of weather problems, all very rainy and all", he told us). The locations – not one of them the actual Sherwood Forest – would afford Reynolds and his crew comparably few hours of decent daylight a day. It would not be long before Robin Hood would run over schedule. And time was already tight.
Perhaps the first sign of problems came just ahead of shooting. Robin Wright had been cast in the role of Maid Marian, but discovered she was pregnant. Four days before cameras were set to roll, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was drafted in (the film would then overrun, causing - and don't say we never give you killer bits of trivia - her wedding licence to lapse), more than holding her own in the part. That said, she would pinpoint many people’s feelings about Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves when she said in a 2009 Sunday Herald interview that “It felt like different films, different attitudes, and I’d have much rather been in Alan Rickman’s film. I wanted to do what he was doing”. So let’s start there.
"You, my room, 10.30 tonight. You, 10.45... and bring a friend"
You don’t need us to tell you that the most fun moments in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves centre around the last outright villain Alan Rickman has played on screen, the Sheriff of Nottingham. He turned the role down a couple of times before eventually agreeing (Sam Neill and Richard E Grant were considered, too), on the condition that he could have relatively free reign with the part.
There’s not a line in the film he doesn’t deliver deliciously, and the story goes that the film was re-edited to take bits of Rickman out, and put more of Costner in, such was the Sheriff’s dominance of the movie.
As it turned out, a longer cut would emerge later on DVD and Blu-ray, and it’s the 148 minute version that’s now available on the UK disc release. Oddly enough though, adding more Rickman makes the film a little weaker. The longer cut explores in more detail his relationship with the bizarre Mortianna, revealing more backstory - specifically that she's his mother - and adds in his worshipping at the altar of dual Gods. But it slows down an already bloated film, weakens the character a little and the leaner cut – which even then, isn’t too lean – is arguably the best.
Not that that either appears to be the director’s cut. Most stories about Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves tend to centre on the sizeable disagreement and falling out between Costner and Reynolds, that led to the latter having his cut of the film taken away from him. Costner (who reportedly did some second unit directing) and his producers instead assembled the final version – as they would do with Waterworld, Costner and Reynolds’ next collaboration – and the director was not impressed with it. However, he didn’t hold the cards here, and whilst the final cut was approved by a director called Kevin, it wasn’t the Kevin who actually helmed the film.
Again, we spoke to Kevin Reynolds back in 2008, and he admitted he was pleased that the longer version had seen the light of day in the end. "What you really wish is that the original version had been that, the original release had been your version. But yeah, to some extent I am happy that people saw more of what I intended", he told us. "But... you'd make yourself crazy if you constantly dwelt on it. I sort of don't understand filmmakers that can go back ten, fifteen years later and want to re-work their film or restore it, because you have to let it go".
"I had a very sad childhood, I'll tell you about it sometime. I never knew my parents; it's amazing I'm sane"
Rewatching Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, time hasn’t altered at all the rights and wrongs of it. Its introduction of Azeem, the Moor companion that Robin befriends in a savage scene in Jerusalem at the start of the movie (Costner had been keen that we saw backstory of Robin outside of Sherwood Forest) gave Morgan Freeman a decent, if unexpected role. It’s one of the biggest deviations from the Robin Hood legend, but in fairness, it lends the film its best non-Rickman comedy moments (co-writer Pen Densham went on to say in an interview abut including Azeem that "I was told it was a stupid idea by studios, so overcoming those objections made it worth the effort").
And at times, it needs that early comedy. It takes 40 minutes or so for Robin to finally set foot in pretend Sherwood Forest and meet those who will become his merry men, and the journey there is surprisingly dour. A cast iron example of its seriousness: the film has Brian Blessed appear in its opening ten minutes or so, and promptly kills him. What's going on there?
In fairness, we have met the two villains of the piece in that time. And we get our introduction to Alan Rickman's Sheriff. Take his gleeful promise to "cut out your heart with a spoon" as just one example of what he does right here. It's delivered with delicious, pitch-perfect villainy, one step short of winking at the audience (in fact the film does break the fourth wall, right at the end, with such a wink). But let's not forget Michael Wincott's hardly cheery and really quite intimidating Guy Of Gisborne. He rarely gets mentioned when people talk about the film and his work here is actually really good.
It's useful, because - and I say this as a huge fan of the man - Costner's isn't so much. He pitches his Robin as an anti-Errol Flynn, but the first time I saw the film, the cinema erupted in a guffaw when he said in his California tone "this is English courage". As the film went on, Costner wisely abandoned any attempt at an English accent, and his performance thus improved. Furthermore, his comedy moments are strong. Comedy has always been a Costner strength, and is again here.
That said, the accent criticisms would stick, and Mel Brooks would have fun with it in his spoof inspired by Prince Of Thieves, Robin Hood: Men In Tights. When his Robin Hood, Cary Elwes, says "this Robin speaks with an English accent", Men In Tights gets one of its few laughs right there.
"Cut out his heart with a spoon"
It'd be remiss too not to mention a few other standouts.
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is the only film to date that brings Kevin Costner and Elmo from Brush Strokes together on the big screen (to date, anyway, depending on Howard Lew Lewis' schedule). And the merry men feature no shortage of fun characters: step forward Nick Brimble's grand Little John, Soo Drouet as his wife, Fanny (behave), and the marvellous Michael McShane as Friar Tuck. It's a grand ensemble.
There's also another American accent in the mix, this time belonging to Christian Slater's Will Scarlett (a role once earmarked for Johnny Depp). It's credit to the writers here that they tried to deepen the story with the twist about Will being Robin's brother, even if Slater's stroppy looks probably gave the game away a bit earlier. Slater also improvised the "fuck me, he cleared it" line, that had to be cut from the UK release to earn a PG rating (14 seconds were chopped in all).
That said, BBFC chief James Ferman would express that his only regret on his retirement was allowing Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves through with such a soft certificate. He had a point. This is a brutal, violent film, with a surprisingly nasty edge for a family movie. And there's also the ending of the film, which leaves a really sour taste.
Up until the final act, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is generally enormous fun (appreciating the downbeat early scenes, and the remarkably adept blind man, Duncan). Reynolds - shooting his arrows at 300 frames a second - has a busy camera, that he's willing to point wherever he needs to keep the film moving. His action moments - clearly practical - are strong, and the arrows of fire being launched into the Sherwood camp make for an excellent sequence. He breathlessly mixes up action and comedy, and then takes time to set up a potentially brilliant final sequence, as Robin and chums must halt the Sheriff's wedding, and save ten of their men - one of whom is John and Fanny's son - from being hanged.
What leaves the sour taste is that it's underpinned by a prolonged scene of attempted rape. Even more sourly, it's shot from an audience point of view. And at the time of the film's release, nobody (including me) seemed to notice.
I certainly notice it now, and what makes it doubly unpleasant and disturbing is that it's played for comedy. As the Sheriff tries to have his way with Marian, he's firing out one liners. There's not a blockbuster film now that could or should get away with that as Robin Hood does here. Arguably, Robin Hood shouldn't have done either.
In an era where films such as Die Hard have been downgraded to 15 from 18, it's interesting that Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is one of the few to have gone the other way. The disc release, with the original 142 minute cinema cut we saw in the UK is now a 12, and even then, there's a sense the BBFC is being a bit generous.
"God bless you, Fanny! And God bless Robin Hood!"
Before I wrap up, It'd be remiss not to touch on the music. Bryan Adams' infamous song would spend longer at the top of the British singles chart that any before it or since.
But more interestingly, Michael Kamen's energetic score to Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, is brilliant. Kamen died of a heart attack at the age of just 55, and it's one of several excellent scores he penned in his lifetime. It's a tragedy we never got to hear more.
Still, revisiting Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves has been interesting for me. I've always liked the film an awful lot, but my reservations about the ending grow with each viewing. It just doesn't feel right. It did not stop the film from being a massive hit, though.
For Costner, he wouldn't just come through the criticism of his performance unscathed, he'd emerge with a huge success. What's particularly notable about Kevin Costner at the height of his movie star days is that he didn't get there by being symbolised with a gun in his hand. Granted, he had a gun in scenes in a few of his films, yet that wasn't the image of him. At a point when Arnold Schwarzenegger was the world's other biggest movie star, the difference between the two was firmly pronounced.
Costner and Reynolds would patch up their differences, only to fall out in even more spectacular style on Waterworld (only to patch up their differences again and reunite for Hatfield & McCoys). But with Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, against considerable odds, they fashioned an often hugely entertaining - and hugely uncomfortable - blockbuster, with an immense villain.
And yep, even Sean turning up at the end still raises a smile. Even though his surprise cameo was widely leaked even before the world wide web routinely did that sort of thing for you...
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See related The top 10 movie performances of Alan Rickman The top 25 Kevin Costner films Looking back at Kevin Costner films: The Bodyguard Kevin Reynolds: The Den Of Geek interview Field Of Dreams revisited: why it still hits me every time Movies Feature Simon Brew Kevin Costner 14 Jun 2016 - 06:49 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Sean Connery Alan Rickman...
- 11/17/2014
- Den of Geek
"The X-Files" and "Californication" star David Duchovny has signed on for the indie Cold War-era Soviet submarine thriller "Phantom" reports Variety.
Duchovny will portray the leader of the Soviet special forces team aboard the submarine, whose mission is cloaked in mystery.
Duchovny replaces the originally cast Andy Garcia. Ed Harris, William Fichtner and Natascha McElhone also star.
Todd Robinson ("Lonely Hearts") will direct from his own script with shooting kicking off next month in Long Beach. John Watson, Pen Densham and Julian Adams will produce.
Duchovny will portray the leader of the Soviet special forces team aboard the submarine, whose mission is cloaked in mystery.
Duchovny replaces the originally cast Andy Garcia. Ed Harris, William Fichtner and Natascha McElhone also star.
Todd Robinson ("Lonely Hearts") will direct from his own script with shooting kicking off next month in Long Beach. John Watson, Pen Densham and Julian Adams will produce.
- 9/28/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
David Duchovny has joined the cast of Phantom, an indie submarine thriller. Variety reports that the X-Files actor will star opposite Ed Harris, William Fichtner and Natascha McElhone. The film takes place on "a Soviet submarine during the Cold War," and will be shot on location in Long Beach, Calif., in October. Phantom will be direced by Todd Robinson (Lonely Hearts) from a script he wrote.
Duchovny will play the "leader of the Soviet Special Forces team aboard the submarine, whose mission is cloaked in mystery." Andy Garcia was attached to star inn the part, but had to drop out. The film is being produced by John Watson, Pen Densham and Julian Adams. Rcr Media Group principals Rui Costa Reis and Eliad Josephson are exec producing. Phantom gained Rcr Media came as co-financier and producer in August. The film is set to be distributed domestically by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group.
Duchovny will play the "leader of the Soviet Special Forces team aboard the submarine, whose mission is cloaked in mystery." Andy Garcia was attached to star inn the part, but had to drop out. The film is being produced by John Watson, Pen Densham and Julian Adams. Rcr Media Group principals Rui Costa Reis and Eliad Josephson are exec producing. Phantom gained Rcr Media came as co-financier and producer in August. The film is set to be distributed domestically by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group.
- 9/27/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
What looms below? A new horror thriller is being developed by K5 Media Group titled Phantom. Terror takes place on a haunted submarine hundreds of feet below the surface. How do you escape a haunted submarine? Ed Harris and Andy Garcia will star, in what is surely a thrilling feature. Also, fans of horror in the deep will not have to wait long as Phantom is set to release in 2012. Enjoy the first poster art for the film here, with cast and crew details below.
The synopsis for Phantom is here:"The haunted Captain of a Soviet submarine holds the fate of the world in his hands. On a seemingly haunted vessel, with a rogue element on board, Captain Zubov is forced to face his past in order to find redemption in the present. But, in the depths of the South Pacific, man and machine are not alone" (Phantom).
Release Date: 2012.
Director/writer: Todd Robinson.
The synopsis for Phantom is here:"The haunted Captain of a Soviet submarine holds the fate of the world in his hands. On a seemingly haunted vessel, with a rogue element on board, Captain Zubov is forced to face his past in order to find redemption in the present. But, in the depths of the South Pacific, man and machine are not alone" (Phantom).
Release Date: 2012.
Director/writer: Todd Robinson.
- 8/8/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
There's a total lack of telephone etiquette on screen. Nobody ever says "goodbye" when the conversation is over — they just hang up. Why? — Scott Kenward, Miami
So why do TV characters sign off without so much as a sayonara? According to Pen Densham, a Hollywood-based screenwriter (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) and author of the new script manual Riding the Alligator, proper farewells during scenes often end up ...
Read More >...
So why do TV characters sign off without so much as a sayonara? According to Pen Densham, a Hollywood-based screenwriter (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) and author of the new script manual Riding the Alligator, proper farewells during scenes often end up ...
Read More >...
- 1/3/2011
- by Ingela Ratledge
- TVGuide - Breaking News
Pen Densham is the director behind The Kiss starring exotic beauty Joanna Pacula, ever so wholesome teen superstar Meredith Salenger, the legendary Jan Rubes and feature directing superstar Shawn Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen, Night at the Museum, and Date Night to name a few). The Kiss deals with the title smooch being passed down from one generation to the next. Unfortunately, for poor little Meredith Salenger she is next in line to receive this deadly kiss from her aunt, Joanna Pacula. Initially a flop when it first came out, The Kiss has found an ever growing following over the past few years due to the film being released at the height of the DVD craze. We had the chance to ask Pen Densham a few questions about The Kiss. Here is what he had to say.
So who is Pen Densham and what are you all about?
Wow – Not an easy question.
So who is Pen Densham and what are you all about?
Wow – Not an easy question.
- 9/27/2010
- by Big Daddy aka Brandon Sites
- Big Daddy Horror Reviews - Interviews
Pen Densham has been set to direct "Big Bill," a feature about the self-destructive tennis legend Bill Tilden.According to Variety, Gil Dennis ("Walk the Line") wrote the script, based on the Frank Deford book "Big Bill: The Triumphs and the Tragedy."Baldwin Entertainment and GlennIris Entertainment have put together the funding to make the picture.Densham hasn't directed a feature since 1996's "Moll Flanders," though he directed the 1998 telepic "Houdini" for TNT. He has busied himself writing and producing such projects as the series revivals of "The Outer Limits" and "The Twilight Zone" for his Trilogy Entertainment Group.In the 1920s, Tilden won six straight U.S. Open singles titles, a feat that Roger Federer will try to surpass this month. Tilden was...
- 8/13/2009
- by Adnan Tezer
- Monsters and Critics
Tennis players are boring. They turn up, go on court, smack a few balls around, throw out a few dour quotes in the post-match press conference, and go off to shoot a new commercial for a camera/clothing range. There’s no spark, no sex, no scandal. Right?Well, not quite. Not for Bill Tilden, anyway. The American was a legendary champion during the 1920s, winning the Us Open six times in a row, and becoming the first American to win Wimbledon.But he was also a novelist, a playwright and a bridge champion, while on the court he was renowned for his sense of fair play and gentlemanly nature. But off court, Tilden was very different, and all of his achievements paled into insignificance next to the two prison terms he served for illegal sexual acts with underage boys. Tilden never recovered from the scandal, and died penniless.His...
- 8/13/2009
- EmpireOnline
Pen Densham has signed on to direct Big Bill, a feature about the self-destructive tennis legend Bill Tilden. Gil Dennis (Walk the Line) wrote the script, based on the Frank Deford book Big Bill: The Triumphs and the Tragedy. In the 1920s, Tilden won six straight U.S. Open singles titles, a feat that Roger Federer will try to surpass this month. Tilden's accomplishments -- including stints as a novelist, playwright and contract bridge champion -- were marred by his imprisonment twice for sexual misbehavior with teenage boys. He died broke. Tilden was the first American to win Wimbledon, and he led the U.S. Davis Cup team to six straight titles. He was also meticulous about obeying the rules on court -- if he got an undeserved call, he would hit the next ball out to even things up -- and refused to soft sell his indiscretions. Densham hasn't...
- 8/13/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Liz Friedlander is attached to direct I Am Charlotte Simmons, the first Tom Wolfe novel the author has optioned for the screen since 1987's The Bonfire of the Vanities.
Jere Hausfater's Essential Entertainment will handle financing and worldwide distribution for Wolfe's contemporary study of a college co-ed. Syntax Entertainment and Trilogy Entertainment Group, which optioned the book around the time it was published in 2005, will produce.
Trilogy's John Watson (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) is adapting the tale of an innocent country girl navigating her way through freshman year at the fictional Dupont University.
Watson, Pen Densham and Neil Kaplan will produce. Essential and Syntax are exec producing, with Chris Law (Love in the Time of Cholera) and Hausfater also serving as exec producers.
The Gersh-repped Friedlander (Take the Lead) is best known for her music-video work with U2, R.E.M. and Blink 182. CAA repped the book rights.
Jere Hausfater's Essential Entertainment will handle financing and worldwide distribution for Wolfe's contemporary study of a college co-ed. Syntax Entertainment and Trilogy Entertainment Group, which optioned the book around the time it was published in 2005, will produce.
Trilogy's John Watson (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) is adapting the tale of an innocent country girl navigating her way through freshman year at the fictional Dupont University.
Watson, Pen Densham and Neil Kaplan will produce. Essential and Syntax are exec producing, with Chris Law (Love in the Time of Cholera) and Hausfater also serving as exec producers.
The Gersh-repped Friedlander (Take the Lead) is best known for her music-video work with U2, R.E.M. and Blink 182. CAA repped the book rights.
- 4/28/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Line Cinema has acquired feature film rights to Monster, a best-selling Japanese manga comic book series from author Naoki Urasawa. Neil Kaplan, Pen Densham and John Watson of Trilogy Entertainment are producing. Monster is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a young doctor who saves the life of a little boy only to find out a few years later that the life he saved was that of a brilliant killer. The doctor must then track down the young killer and solve a larger conspiracy. Urasawa is a manga master in Japan, where Monster has been adapted into an animated television series and has spawned 18 volumes as a manga series. The Monster mangas have sold more than 25 million copies in Japan, and it has a strong following in Asia and Europe. The book's publisher, Shogakukan Inc., is executive producing the project. Shogakukan was behind the Pokemon series. Trilogy produced The Outer Limits TV series as well as the TV version of Carrie. Feature credits include Backdraft and Blown Away. Overseeing the project for New Line are production executives Cale Boyter and Magnus Kim.
Two popular British TV dramas, Soldier, Soldier and the sci-fi series UFO, might be headed Stateside as new U.S.-produced series. Carlton America, the U.S.-based television arm of the United Kingdom's Carlton International Media Group, has partnered with leading U.S. producers to develop the drama formats for the States. Carlton has teamed with writer-producer-director John Sacret Young (The West Wing, China Beach) on Soldier, Soldier and with Pen Densham, Neil Kaplan and John Watson of Trilogy Entertainment Group (The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone) on UFO. Carlton America president and CEO Stephen Davis said Monday in announcing the deal that both dramas are being offered as formats to the major U.S. networks and talks are "actively under way."...
- 10/28/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UPN's The Twilight Zone has just crossed over into ... a full-season pickup. The network has ordered nine additional episodes of the updated version of Rod Serling's classic sci-fi anthology series, which aired on CBS from 1959-65. The UPN version, which bowed this fall at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, is hosted by Forest Whitaker and produced by New Line Television in association with Trilogy Entertainment Group. Pen Densham, Mark Stern, John Watson and Ira Steven Behr serve as executive producers. "The creative strength of The Twilight Zone stems from the combination of quality writing and fantastic guest stars, and by pairing it with Enterprise, UPN has created a solid night of out-of-this world programming," UPN entertainment president Dawn Ostroff said in a statement.
- 10/24/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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