After making a big splash back in 2009 with “The Hangover,” Bradley Cooper has been trying in earnest to segue into leading roles — with the first result, the “A-Team” movie landing with a bit of a thud this summer. And as Cooper navigates the rest of the year with “The Hangover 2” set to shoot sometime this fall, and potentially a re-team with director Joe Carnahan for the man vs. nature film “The Grey,” his calendar might be too busy to hang with Philadelphian brother from another mother M. Night Shyamalan.
Cooper reportedly may have to drop out of Shyamalan’s next project, rumored to reunite the director with Bruce Willis alongside Gwyneth Paltrow. Details of the film’s plot are thin (as always), but apparently it’s not unlike a supernatural version of “Taken.” Regarding Cooper’s status on the film, Shyamalan told Philly.com, “‘Hangover 2.’ I don’t think Bradley can do it because of that.” There’s no word yet on who Shyamalan will attach to the project he is shopping around town, but one presumes he has a back up plan in case it doesn’t come together.
The director hasn’t taken the idea of a sequel to “Unbreakable” off the table just yet, though he still needs to crack the story saying, “If I think of the right story — and by that I mean something that resonates with me right now, you know, at my age and where I am and what movie I’ve come off of — if I can do that, then I’ll get really excited and I’ll write a draft and I’ll go beg Disney for us to be able to make it.” And though Bruce Willis is already game, Shyamalan might actually have to beg, given that any plans for a sequel the $280 million “The Last Airbender” seem unlikely given the film’s $57 million four day haul (yes, a good number, but not for a movie that expensive) and more importantly, the dreadful word of mouth, even from fans of the original anime series. Still it could be a grower and an international hit, so it shouldn’t be counted out just yet.
Just remember Shyamalan, there’s always Haley Joel Osment if you need him. [Philly.com] — Omar