Movie, music, and television reviews from a select group of bloggers.
'Once Upon a Time' stars Ginnifer Goodwin (l.) and Lana Parrilla (r.). (Jack Rowand/ABC/AP)
ABC releases its fall premiere dates – here's the full list
Already tired of the five major network’s penchant for filling their summer schedules with an equal mix of reality and reruns? Well, perhaps this will brighten your day: ABC has just released their September/October 2013 schedule of season and series premieres. See for yourself, after the jump.
Friday, September 6
10PM: 20/20
Monday, September 16
8PM: DANCING WITH THE STARS
Friday, September 20
8PM: LAST MAN STANDING
8:30PM: THE NEIGHBORS
9PM: SHARK TANK
Monday, September 23
10PM: CASTLE
Tuesday, September 24
8PM: MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD (new series)
9PM: THE GOLDBERGS (new series)
9:30PM: TROPHY WIFE (new series)
10PM: LUCKY 7 (new series)
Wednesday, September 25
8PM: THE MIDDLE
8:30PM: BACK IN THE GAME (new series)
9PM: MODERN FAMILY
10PM: NASHVILLE
Thursday, September 26
9PM: GREY’S ANATOMY
Sunday, September 29
8PM: ONCE UPON A TIME
9PM: REVENGE
10PM: BETRAYAL (new series)
Wednesday, October 2
9:30PM: SUPER FUN NIGHT (new series)
Thursday, October 3
10PM: SCANDAL
Sunday, October 6
7PM: AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS
Thursday, October 10
8PM: ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND (new series)
Will Robert Downey Jr. play both Pinocchio and Geppetto in a movie? (Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Will Robert Downey Jr. play Geppetto and the title role in a new version of 'Pinocchio'?
Adaptations of works in the public domain can get a little confusing, since no single studio can hold exclusive rights to them and therefore there can be multiple movie versions of the same story in development at the same time. Combine this with the industry’s love of dueling and the end result is situations like the 2012 face-off between Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman (a competition that the latter film won by quite a significant margin).
Another such parallel may soon be occurring with the two separate adaptations of the classic Carlo Collodi children’s novel Pinocchio. Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim) is planning a stop-motion animation of Pinocchio based on Gris Grimly’s illustrated version of the book, though that will have to wait until after del Toro finishes directing his new horror movie Crimson Peak. Tim Burton was also attached to direct an adaptation for Warner Bros., with Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, but he has since left the project and has (as-yet) unofficially been replaced by Ben Stiller. There is also a third film, titled The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto, which was acquired by Real Steel director Shawn Levy on spec a couple of years ago but has not seen any development since then.
Bleeding Cool has learned a few new details about Stiller’s project, the most interesting of which is that Downey is currently planning to play both Geppetto and Pinocchio, which would probably make for quite an intense shooting and recording schedule. Though the woodcarver is depicted in the original story, and in most adaptations of it, as an elderly man who becomes the father of a wooden son at a late age, Downey’s Geppetto is scripted a little younger, meaning that there probably won’t be much need for the make-up team to artificially age him.
One of the questions that remains is whether Pinocchio will be animated, perhaps using performance capture, or whether he will have a physical body that Downey can interact with even as he provides the voice acting for it. The latter honestly sounds more appealing – after all, there are few movies where it would more appropriate to use puppetry to animate a character.
The script, which was originally written by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), has undergone rewrites already from Jane Goldman, and wil undergo further changes and polishing before production begins. The most likely target audience is naturally younger children, but there’s no reason that the film can’t be geared to a more general audience in the way that Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are was. Some of the darker and more frightening scenes were already brought to life very effectively in the 1940 Disney film, but sadly that version left out the part where Pinocchio gets bored of hearing about morality, picks up a hammer and squishes his poor cricket friend.
'Sharknado': Syfy's original movie centers on... sharks in a tornado
In the portmanteau-titled Syfy original Sharknado, a freak hurricane slams the West coast, bringing thousands of man-eating sharks to Los Angeles’ beaches with it. The ensuing chaos caused by the never-before-seen environmental disaster is devastating enough, but when high-speed winds form a massive tornado that lifts the sea’s most feared animals into the air, an even deadlier force threatens to destroy the entire city.
This latest slice of Syfy B-movie cheese is directed by Anthony C. Ferrante and surprisingly, stars some recognizable names and faces, including Tara Reid (American Pie), Ian Ziering (Beverly Hills, 90210) and John Heard (Home Alone), along with lesser-known actors Alex Arleo (The Haunting of Whaley House) and Neil H. Berkow (Zombie Apocalypse).
If you’re asking yourself how a “Sharknado” could form in the first place, you’re probably approaching this movie the wrong way. Although it would be fun to listen to the scientific exposition behind this cataclysmic event, we probably won’t get much of it. But with this type of movie, the how and the why doesn’t matter as much as seeing flying flesh-eating beasts descend upon a small band of survivors. Even the poster begs audiences not to ask questions and simply enjoy the B-movie glory with the tagline under the title that reads: Enough said!
In the trailer, we get plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that show us Sharknado could end up being a ton of fun. First, there’s the often-used montage of survivors equipping themselves with weapons and tools and then we even get a glimpse of one character slicing a flying shark in half with a chainsaw. Of course, a shark disaster movie wouldn’t be complete without an homage to Jaws and we get one with the line: We’re gonna need a bigger chopper.
Daniel Johnson blogs at Screen Rant.
Lisa Edelstein will guest-star on the ABC show 'Castle.' (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)
Lisa Edelstein will guest-star on ABC dramedy 'Castle'
“House” actress Lisa Edelstein is heading to the ABC dramedy “Castle” for a multi-episode arc.
Edelstein’s character for the show’s sixth season will be Rachel McCord, a federal investigator who may play a part in decisions main character Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) will be making about her life. Beckett was deciding whether or not to move to Washington D.C. and mulling what to do about the marriage proposal from writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion).
Edelstein will first appear in the sixth season premiere. It was also recently announced that the actress will voice a character on the Nickelodeon animated series “The Legend of Korra.”
Since Edelstein left the Fox drama “House” in 2011, she has guest-starred on various shows including the CBS legal drama “The Good Wife,” CBS’s take on the Sherlock Holmes stories titled “Elementary,” and the ABC soap “Scandal.” She had previously guest-starred on the 1996 TV animated adaptation of “Superman” and on the NBC drama “The West Wing” as well as appearing in the 2000 romantic comedy “What Women Want,” starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. On “House,” Edelstein portrayed Dr. Lisa Cuddy, the administrator of the hospital at which protagonist Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) works as well as the Dean of Medicine.
“Castle” premiered on ABC in 2009 and stars Fillion as a mystery writer who, after being questioned by New York police after a murderer commits a crime that is similar to one of his books, begins to work with detective Beckett (Katic) to solve mysteries. He uses her as the inspiration for a protagonist for a new series of mystery novels.
The show has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, all for technical categories, such as Outstanding Music Composition.
'Tootsie' stars Dustin Hoffman. (AP)
'Tootsie' changed his feelings about women and their appearance, says Dustin Hoffman
A video of Dustin Hoffman discussing his memorable role in “Tootsie,” as a man who dresses as a woman in order to secure more acting parts, has been making the rounds on the Internet.
The video was reportedly filmed in 2012 for the American Film Institute and is described by the AFI as coming from their archives. In it, Hoffman discusses how playing the part gave him a new perspective on how society views women based on their appearance. The actor becomes visibly emotional during the video.
Hoffman says he asked to get makeup tests so he could see how he would look playing a woman in the film.
“I was shocked I wasn’t more attractive,” he said of his reaction after the makeup was done. Hoffman said he told the makeup team, “Now make me a beautiful woman.”
“That’s as good as it gets,” the makeup staff told him, according to Hoffman.
“It was at that moment that I had an epiphany,” the actor said. “I went home and started crying talking to my wife. I said, ‘I have to make this picture’… I think I’m an interesting woman when I look at myself onscreen, and I know that if I met myself at a party, I know I would never talk to that character because she doesn’t fulfill, physically, the demands that we’re brought up to think women have to have in order for us to ask them out… there’s too many interesting women I have not had the experience to know in this life because I’ve been brainwashed.”
“That was never a comedy for me,” Hoffman adds of the movie.
In the 1982 movie, Hoffman plays Michael Dorsey, who pretends to be a woman named Dorothy in order to secure a role on a soap opera. Complications ensue when Michael falls for his female co-star and his co-star’s father falls in love with Dorothy.
Check out the full video of Hoffman discussing his feelings about the role.
The original 'Jurassic Park' film starred Sam Neill (c.), Jeff Goldblum (2nd r.), and Laura Dern (r.). (Murray Close/Universal City Studios & Amblin)
'Jurassic Park 4' director Colin Trevorrow discusses the dinosaur sequel
When Steven Spielberg passed on directing Jurassic Park III (after helming the first and second installments), he handed the reins over to filmmaker Joe Johnston, who had served as his art director on Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom. The latter was in discussions for Jurassic Park IV early on, but the directing job eventually went to Colin Trevorrow instead. Trevorrow broke out last year with the film Safety Not Guaranteed, which is an indie dramedy about a cynical young magazine employee (Aubrey Plaza) who, along with one of her peers and an intern, investigates a classified ad placed by someone who’s looking for a time-travel companion.
Schmoes Knows interviewed Trevorrow at the 2013 Saturn Awards, where they asked the filmmaker about how his experience with making JP4 – at this stage of development anyway - compares to working on Safety Not Guaranteed. Trevorrow replied as follows:
“Surprisingly it’s not that different [from 'Safety Not Guaranteed]. We have a very small team who we’re working with right now. It’s incredible to have Steven [Spielberg], who’s done this for decades and has such an incredible filmic knowledge and this understanding of the language of story – in a way that for us, is very refreshing. It’s not like getting notes from a studio executive. It’s really trying to crack this and make it the best movie it can be.”
Potential Jurassic Park IV script details leaked online a couple weeks ago, and while the information is, in fact, reported to have come from an earlier draft, Trevorrow is said to have made significant changes to the screenplay since then. It seems that the story for JP4 may still take place on Isla Nublar (i.e. the island in the first movie), but what’s less certain is whether the more far-fetched elements from the early script draft – like velociraptors and Tyrannosaurus Rexes that have been domesticated at an operational Jurassic Park – have likewise been included in the most recent script cut.
There was potential for something good in that early JP4 script breakdown, which was presumably for a/the draft co-written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Hence, it’s encouraging to hear about both Trevorrow and Spielberg – who is executive producing – making efficient use of the extra year for development (following the project’s delay from a 2014 release date) – and shaping JP4 into a solid blockbuster, one which amounts to more than the nostalgia cash-grab that many fear it could be.
On that note, Trevorrow dodged a question about whether or not JP4 will, in essence, reboot the Jurassic Park franchise, but emphasized that he is well-aware of the history and cultural impact of this series:
“We don’t want to create a new scoop here [laughs], but we really want to honor what came before us. We are very aware of how much a certain generation especially cares about this movie and we talk about it all the time in conversations. It’s not about us, it’s not about our careers, it’s – how do we make something that can stand [against the first ‘Jurassic Park’]?”
Trevorrow has made similar comments in the past, about being invested in fulfilling fans’ expectations – and not wanting to tarnish their memories – while he works on a new version or installment in a beloved genre property (though, depending on how you feel about the Jurassic Park sequels, it may be too late for that). At the time, though, he was secretly referring to a Flight of the Navigator remake, which he could still direct sometime after JP4 is finished.
While it was partly due to his Navigator comments, Trevorrow was once a heavily-rumored name to direct Star Wars: Episode VII, for reasons that may also extend to him having impressed some hotshot executives and producers around Hollywood.
Safety Not Guaranteed may be a far cry from a Jurassic Park movie (in terms of content, style, budget, etc.), but it likewise shows that Trevorrow is an adept storyteller with a sincere fondness for the cinema medium. We can only hope that potential ends up being realized, starting with JP4.
Do you approve of Trevorrow directing Jurassic Park IV? Or are you reserving judgement until we get more explicit details about what exactly he has in mind for the film?
Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.
Chris Pratt in 'Guardians of the Galaxy': Who else could join him for the comic book movie?
Marvel Studios takes to the stage of the biggest hall of the San Diego Convention Center for Comic-Con International 2013 in less than two weeks where they will showcase Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: The Dark World, not unlike they did three years ago in a combined presentation for their respective origin stories.
With filming now underway in London where the Thor sequel previously shot, Guardians of the Galaxy has most of its cast locked down and it’s a safe bet they’ll have at least a small part to play in Marvel’s film showcase as well to clarify many of the rumors and unanswered questions, some of which we may already have answers to.
Chris Pratt is the new lead for Marvel’s next hopeful success story and launch of a franchise, but fans who know him from Parks and Recreation may have had trouble picturing him as a superhero. As we demonstrated six months ago when he was first cast as Peter Quill, Pratt showed off his ripped physique for Zero Dark Thirty with a self-portrait. Pratt shared the following (very similar) image yesterday on his Instagram account and Twitter, showing that he’s leaned down even more and changed his hair color/style to match the current incarnation of the character known as Star-Lord from Marvel Comics.
As for some of the non-human roles we’ve heard rumors about for several months, Den of Geek learned from a source who Benicio del Toro, Lee Pace and Karen Gillan are all playing. Below are the unofficially confirmed roles for the three along with my descriptions of each from previous Screen Rant articles on the characters.
-
Benicio del Toro as The Collector
The Collector is a rather important being in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the oldest. His real name is Taneleer Tivan and he’s the last surviving member of his species, one of the first intelligent races formed after the creation of the universe. That fact made him worthy enough to be granted immortality from “Death” – the character for which Thanos (see: The Avengers) aims to serve and impress. More on The Collector and his family here.
-
Lee Pace as Ronan the Accuser
Ronan is a key member of the Kree, one of the alien races rumored years ago to potentially be a part of the story of The Avengers. The Kree are enemies of the Skrulls, and Ronan is a super powerful judge, jury and executioner type figure who began as a villain but turned out to be a hero of his people. More on Ronan and the Kree here.
-
Karen Gillan as Nebula
We speculated that Gillan could be playing Death but the latest news indicates she’s playing Nebula, a villainous space pirate who used her fleet to attack various alien civilizations and The Avengers. The Luphomoid has plenty of history with Thanos and The Infinity Gauntlet which will undoubtedly factor into the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That leaves several key roles still unannounced. Who is playing Thanos and is he the reason Marvel is chatting with Vin Diesel? Who is voicing Rocket Raccoon and Groot? Is Richard Rider’s Nova going to be introduced since Nova Corps will be a part of the film?
Rob Keyes blogs at Screen Rant.
Warlow, a 'True Blood' villain, was recently revealed on the HBO show. 'True Blood' stars (from l. to r.) Alexander Skarsgard, Anna Paquin, and Stephen Moyer. (Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
Warlow on 'True Blood': The villain's identity is revealed
Who is Warlow on “True Blood”? The identity of a villain on the HBO show was revealed on the newest episode, which aired July 8.
(Spoilers for the episode follow, so beware if you haven’t seen it yet.)
It turns out Warlow, a vampire who killed heroine Sookie Stackhouse’s parents, is actually a man the audience has already met. He’d originally told Sookie his name is Ben Flynn and that he is both faerie and human, but he's apparently a faerie and a vampire, perhaps the first creature to be both.
Viewers had been hearing a lot about the character, but it wasn’t until the most recent episode that it became clear the villain was someone the audience already knew.
Actor Rob Kazinsky, who plays Ben/Warlow, told Access Hollywood it was nice to finally be able to discuss his character’s true identity.
“Ben has always seemed like a very bland character because you [couldn't] show the fact that Ben was Warlow, otherwise it gives away the whole season's secret,” he said. “This is actually the first conversation I've been able to have where I say, 'I'm Warlow.'”
Kazinsky said that while Ben’s real identity is out, viewers should believe that his character really does have romantic feelings for Sookie.
“Everything that Ben says to Sookie in the previous three episodes is true,” the actor said. “He is not faking how he feels... However, coming and meeting a woman and saying, 'Hi! We're meant to get married. I killed your parents. I'm a vampire,' is not gonna go down as planned.”
“True Blood” is currently airing its sixth season on HBO and stars Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, and Alexander Skarsgard. It’s (loosely) based on the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, who recently released what is (reportedly) the last book in the series.
'Despicable Me 2' features the return of villain Gru's minions (pictured), small yellow creatures who speak an incomprehensible language. (Universal Pictures/AP)
Despicable Minions have heart and humor, but 'Despicable Me 2' has a weak story
In Despicable Me 2, we see that former super-villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) has settled into the routine of fatherhood, which includes throwing princess-themed parties for his three adopted daughters – Agnes (Elsie Fisher), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) – and having Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) and Gru’s army of Minions spend their time making a new brand of jam, rather than weapons or gadgets for nefarious purposes.
Gru winds up being kidnapped by Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), who is an agent for the Anti-Villain League: a secret global organization that specializes in stopping master criminals who are bent on world domination, as presided over by the snooty Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan). At first, Gru refuses their request to help track down a mysterious figure who is responsible for stealing a dangerous mutating chemical compound (by using a giant magnet). Old habits die hard, though, and soon Gru’s back in the game – only this time, he’s saving the world.
As suggested by the film’s Minion-centric trailers, Despicable Me 2 unfolds as part sequel to the original 3D animated hit Despicable Me, part extended prologue to the Minions spinoff arriving in theaters next year. The final result is a sequel that lacks the clever storyline – an examination of the line between villains and do-gooders from a different perspective – and has a weaker emotional core than its predecessor, but keeps all the inspired lunacy and cartoonish energy cranked up to the same level. Overall, though, there is enough heart and humor included to make the movie a breezy and charming viewing experience.
Despicable Me 2 was developed by the same team of people that collaborated on the first movie, which includes co-writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul along with co-directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud (everyone but Coffin also worked on The Lorax). This film allows those creative minds – who reside at Illumination Entertainment – to continue and position themselves as the modern equivalent of Chuck Jones, with their brand of Looney Tunes-esque satirical jokes, expressive slapstick and vibrant animation that makes proper use of cartoon physics and logic. That lets Despicable Me 2 appeal as much to adults as younger moviegoers, even though the sequel is (as a whole) geared more towards kids in the audience than the first movie.
Script-wise, Daurio and Paul fail to provide Gru with a character arc that’s equally-touching as his personal journey from self-involvement to paternal nurturing in the first movie. Nevertheless, there is some fun to be had watching Gru in the sequel, as he navigate the treacherous waters of single fatherhood (which requires him to jump back into the dating pool and ward off unreciprocated interest from available suburban moms). Carell, as in the first Despicable Me, proves to be an excellent match for the voice-acting medium, with his amusingly undefined accent and lively vocal mannerisms as Gru.
In the film, Agnes and Margo once again represent different parenting challenges for Gru – Agnes unknowingly yearns for a maternal presence in her life, while the budding adolescent Margo has formed an interest in the opposite sex – and the results are touching and funny in equal measure; unfortunately, though, tomboyish Edith doesn’t have much to do. Meanwhile, Kristen Wiig voiced Miss Hattie in the first Despicable Me, but in the sequel the role of Agent Wilde proves to be a better match for her sense of anxious comedic timing. Indeed, Wiig’s vocal quirks are synced perfectly with her animated counterpart’s on-screen action and help make the flirtations between Gru and Lucy enjoyable to watch.
Notable voice additions in the sequel include Coogan as the chinless Ramsbottom, Benjamin Bratt as the macho Mexican restaurant owner Eduardo Perez, and Moisés Arias as Eduardo’s hipster son, Antonio. Their vocal tendencies are a solid fit for the stylized and caricature-like physical designs of their respective cartoon alter-egos, but the same cannot be said for Ken Jeong in a minor role as the peculiar wig store owner named Floyd Eagle-san. (Jeong, for the record, also voiced a talk show host in the first movie; his character in the sequel is perhaps even less memorable.)
Of course, there’s no way to properly talk about Despicable Me 2 without touching on the expanded role that the Minions play in the film’s madcap proceedings. The diminutive yellow critters may have their own (semi-)indecipherable language, but their brand of humor is essentially a throwback to silent film comedy, between the over-the-top physical gags, pantomime-style bits, frequent costume changes, and even a Minion fantasy sequence. Problem is, so much of the sequel is devoted to concocting scenarios where the Minions riff on and lampoon just about every social and/or pop cultural trend you can imagine (often to very funny effect), it makes the main storyline and character sub-plots feel like an afterthought at times.
Despicable Me 2, in other words, suffers because the filmmakers seemingly went too far by over-emphasizing the side elements that audiences loved about the first movie. Fortunately, unlike when, say, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow was upgraded to a larger role in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, the Minions have yet to be watered down to the point where they lose the idiosyncratic spark that made them memorable in the first place (there’s even an in-joke about that, with regard to the disgusting jam mass-produced by the Minions). That’s good to know, considering what lies ahead in the future of the Despicable Me franchise (as teased in the film’s mid-credits scene).
Similarly, there’s enough inventiveness present in the film’s visual design and use of the 3D computer-animation medium to elevate Despicable Me 2 far enough so that the film manages to overcome shortcomings in its basic storytelling approach. Those who adore the Minions – and want to spend more time having some light-hearted fun in the zany Despicable Me universe – should get what they are looking for in the sequel (which, if you enjoyed the first movie’s usage of 3D, is worth the higher ticket price for a 3D screening).
Sandy Schaefer blogs at Screen Rant.
'The Lone Ranger' stars Johnny Depp (l.) and Armie Hammer (r.). (Peter Mountain/Disney/Bruckheimer Films/AP)
'The Lone Ranger': Johnny Depp, director Gore Verbinski discuss production woes
Can director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer make a “Lone Ranger” film appeal to a generation of young adults who have never heard of Tonto or Silver the horse?
We'll soon find out as audiences take in “The Lone Ranger,” the big-screen adaptation of the 1949 TV series which debuted July 3 and stars Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer of “The Social Network.” The characters in the TV series originally appeared on a radio show, circa 1933, and also appeared in a series of films later in the 1930s. Even later films with the characters included 1956’s “The Lone Ranger” and 1958’s “The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold,” both of which starred the lead actors from the TV series, Clayton Moore (who portrayed the titular Lone Ranger) and Jay Silverheels (who took on the role of Tonto). A 1981 film titled “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” had different actors portray the characters.
But even Verbinski says that pop culture had moved on past the Lone Ranger when he was growing up.
“I grew up in the '70s, so it was Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah and not so much the Lone Ranger,” Verbinski said during a recent panel discussion led by Yahoo moderator Ben Lyons. During the panel, Verbinski, Depp, Hammer, and Bruckheimer answered questions from Internet users.
And Verbinski says he wanted to put a twist on the story that some feel they know so well.
“We're telling it from Tonto's perspective,” the director said of his film. “He's our way into this story. You've all heard this story, but you've never heard it from the guy who was there.”
Depp said he found Tonto fascinating when he was younger and a fan of the TV series.
“When I watched the show, I just didn't understand why Tonto was the sidekick,” he said.
The actor said he was also sensitive to the troubled history of Native Americans when he took on the role of the Lone Ranger’s friend.
“The goal was to, in my own small way, right the many wrongs that have been done to those people,” Depp said.
The film has already attracted attention for its large budget and the many stunts Hammer and Depp perform in the trailers. Hammer said he knew how to ride a horse before the film, but he encountered some new challenges during “Ranger.”
“I've never ridden a moving horse on top of a train or through a bank before, so that was new,” the actor said.
Depp also cited riding a horse when asked what his biggest challenge on the film was.
“The most difficult thing was staying alive when you're on a horse that's moving at high speeds,” he said. The actor called “Ranger” the most dangerous movie he’d ever worked on.
Verbinski said so many things went wrong during the film that watching the movie now is “a sense memory of pain.”
“It was the hardest film I've ever been on,” he said. “It was absolutely nuts. The train never worked.”
Become part of the Monitor community