When we look at future tentpoles, it sure seems like there’s a lot of franchises running out of steam (“X-Men”), finishing their main storylines (“Harry Potter”) or merely desperate to re-ignite moviegoers’ imaginations (“Pirates Of The Carribbean”). With studios realizing there are only so many trashy airport novels, TV shows and comic books to adapt, we’re about to see tentpole sequels to films we never seemed interested in at the start, with marketing left to do the heavy lifting when these re-heated leftovers hit the big screen to a collective, “Really?”
As such, Warner Bros. is moving in the direction of sequelizing two films that made hefty profits but, anecdotally, didn’t seem to be anyone’s favorite films of their respective seasons. First off is “Clash of the Titans,” which was heavily reshot and hastily released with a terrible-looking post-production conversion to 3D. Even though many characters didn’t live to see another installment, WB has Actionbot 9000 Sam Worthington inked for another go-round, and they want to get him back in a toga before he makes a no doubt lengthy return to Pandora for another “Avatar” adventure. Frankly, we were expecting Worthington lookalike Lucas Black to become Perseus in a cheaper “reboot” with Tim Roth as Zeus, but maybe we’re underestimating the fan base for this. Either way, fingers crossed they bring back that Djinn with the wood face who laughed a lot. He was expressive.
But honestly, we’re stunned to see this one escape the direct-to-DVD pile and be treated as a potential major 2012 release, especially with the studio jettisoning director Louis Letterier in lieu of an executive producer’s credit. Does Letterier have that much on his plate? We don’t think the guy’s the worst, but we shudder at the thought of someone handling his sloppy seconds. Perhaps the gig will fall to Greg Berlanti, who’s scripting this sequel. The WB liked his initial draft of “Green Lantern” enough to briefly consider him a contender to direct that film as well. Berlanti, for the record, has a gay baseball comedy and an upcoming Katherine Heigl dramedy on his directing resume. But he’ll be cheap, so suit him up!
In other WB rehash news, they’re also prepping a sequel to their surprise hit “Journey To The Center Of The Earth.” The Brendan Fraser 3D kids’ flick debuted to soft numbers against “Hellboy II” and hit only a weekend before “The Dark Knight,” but it cleaned up nicely, nabbing $242 million worldwide. Somehow, they want this sequel out by fall 2011. This might be tough to do without a director or star: original helmer Eric Brevig is busy working on a “Yogi Bear” movie, and Fraser is sticking to his guns in refusing any Brevig replacement, including studio choice Brad Peyton (“Cats & Dogs: The Legend Of Kitty Galore”). However, WB is considering promoting the character of Fraser’s son, played by Josh Hutcherson, to the lead role. Hutcherson got some leading-man heat recently when he was seen bulking up to audition for the new “Spider-Man,” leading some to believe he’s on some studio shortlists. As for directors… hey, Gil Kenan needs work, right?
