Update: Paul W.S. Anderson’s project just got a kick in the pants as Summit has picked up the domestic distribution rights, and filming is set to start in late summer “in Babelsberg Studios in Germany, and on location in France.” The film will apparently be in “real 3D” (whatever that means nowadays), but there are is no cast yet in place.
If “Avatar” is getting every studio around town to turn every tentpole into a 3D extravaganza, then the success of “Sherlock Holmes” seems to have producers digging into the classics so what other titles can get a reboot. “The Three Musketeers,” which has been made already into countless films, is the latest classic hot property on studio lots and there are currently two different projects in development that are competing to get in front of cameras first.
It’s no surprise that Warner Bros., who saw the immediate success of “Sherlock Holmes,” are behind one of the projects. Producer Lionel Wigram is moving ahead in finding a director to shoot the script by Peter Straughan (“The Men Who Stare At Goats,” “How To Lose Friends & Alienate People”). At the top of the list is an odd choice, David Frankel. Best known for helming “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Marley & Me” and episodes of “Sex & The City” it hard to imagine him getting behind a swashbuckler, though early in his career he did get behind the camera for a couple of episodes of “Band Of Brothers” so directing action wouldn’t totally be out of the question.
Second on the list is Doug Liman. While he definitely has the chops, having helmed “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” he’s also a notorious loose cannon, known for obliterating budgets and running afoul of executives. While he might be the smarter choice in terms of abilities, Warner Brothers may not want to deal with the potential of the production going south over whatever problems may arise with Liman steering the ship.
The other “Three Musketeers” project floating around Hollywood is being written and directed by hack extraordinaire Paul W.S. Anderson. The independently financed project got some buzz around it when producers said they hoped to get Taylor Lautner for the film, but the actor’s reps have since said he won’t be starring in the project. The script is being co-written by Andrew Davies (“The Tailor Of Panama,” “Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason” and lots and lots of stuffy Brit television) and it still seems to be in early development stages.
So how close will these stick to the books by Alexandre Dumas? Our guess is not at all. Warner Brothers learned that audiences will take bromance over authenticity any day of the week, and we hardly expect the director “Resident Evil” to be concerned about literary accuracy. It will be interesting to see who gets their project in front of cameras first, but we can only imagine that talent interested in doing this kind of film will head to Warner Brothers first before checking out whatever Anderson has to offer.