Jim Schembri’s Cheat Sheet – March 11

JIM’S MOVIE CHEAT SHEET – 11 March

VALE MICHAEL WHITE

Veteran British producer Michael White has died, age 80. A maverick London stage producer with a prolific output, he was also responsible for films such as Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Hound of the Baskervilles. He was the subject of the acclaimed 2013 documentary The Last Impresario, directed by Gracie Otto.

 

WILLIS REVIVES ‘DEATH WISH’ & ‘DIE HARD 6’

Bruce Willis, 60, is set to step into the loafers of Charles Bronson in the much-touted remake of the 1974 classic Death Wish. Bronson was 53 when he made the film with director Michael Winner. Willis is also looking forward to Die Hard 6, which he says will include an origin story that shows us John McClane doing his job in the scungy New York of 1979.

 

WHERE’S WALLY: THE MOVIE

From the ‘I Can’t Believe They’re Going to Make That Into A Movie’ Department comes news that Seth Rogen will star in and produce the movie version of the popular Where’s Wally books, which will involve time travel. He’ll be making it with his producing partner Evan Goldberg, with whom he made This is The End, Pineapple Express and The Interview.

 

A NEW MERCURY FOR FREDDIE BIOPIC

Ben Wishaw is tipped as the likely successor to Sacha Baron Cohen to take on the role of Freddie Mercury in the biopic to be produced by the surviving Queen members. Cohen’s departure was apparently due to ‘artistic differences’ with the band. He claims they want Mercury’s death to be the middle act of the Queen story, whereas Cohen wanted it to be the central focus.

 

LADY RULES THE MULTIPLEXES

The enduring clout of Maggie Smith has proved itself heartily with The Lady in the Van topping the chart by taking $3.4 million on 266 screens, ending the reign of Deadpool (#2), which earned $3.3m for a four-week total of $38 million. Cop drama Triple 9 (#6) took $629,936 on 145 while the gripping rescue drama The Finest Hours (#12) took a paltry $337,288 on 188. The film might possibly have fared better had it received the marketing it deserved.