In a move that no one will really care about, Brendan Fraser has taken himself out — for now — of the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” sequel.
The thespian, presumably wanting to retain the first film’s grand artistic imprint, insisted on working with that film’s director Eric Brevig on the sequel. But with Warner Bros. wanting the film ready for 2011, and Brevig readying his magnum opus “Yogi Bear” for later this year, they are looking at getting avant garde auteur Brad Peyton (“Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore”) to helm the picture instead.
Fraser pulled this kind of thing previously with “The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor” but the studio met his demands and he cashed the paycheck and did the film. Fraser could use a hit since his last film, the execrable and sure to be Razzie nominated “Furry Vengeance,” tanked earlier this year. In case he really does turn down a big paycheck, the story will be adjusted with the main character switching to Fraser’s character’s nephew, Josh Hutcherson. That said, will they really begin production on a 3D tentpole sequel with an untested lead actor? Doubtful. Our guess is that a dump truck full of money will arrive in Fraser’s driveway one day soon and he’ll be back on board.
Just to sum up: Brendan Fraser prefers the director of “Yogi Bear” over the director of “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore.” He clearly knows something about these guys that we don’t. — additional reporting by Christopher Bell
