KATHERINE HEIGL IS A BOUNTY HUNTING LIZ LEMON IN ONE FOR THE MONEY

I refuse to watch anything that this insufferable bitch stars in, so count me the hell out.

Funny you mention Liz Lemon, since there are two guest stars from that show in that trailer.

 

Yeah, this looks like it could hit pretty damned big.

It could be huge. The books, as noted in the article, are crazy popular. On the other hand, if they fuck it up, word of mouth will kill it and the franchise.

 

Looks like they learned from the mistake of V.I. Warshawski, which probably should've been titled Deadlock. Oh, and also the movie could've been not shit. Waste of a perfectly good franchise opportunity for Kathleen Turner.

 

Sue me, but I'm rooting for this one to be not shit. There need to be more female-driven franchises, more mainstream movies written and directed by women that aren't romantic comedies, and more fan service for middle-aged women that isn't on Lifetime.

The casting is awful top to bottom. I actually have read most of the books, and this could have been a fun franchise. Instead, this looks like shit.

It look so weirdly outdated. Like it feels like it's made from a book from 1995 somehow. The family around the table, the hookers hanging out... all feel like they're from a 15 year old movie, with 15 year old lighting or something.

Yeah, the series is huge, but (anecdotal) every woman I know who read the books HATES Heigl as Stephanie Plum, so all bets potentially off.  

Heigl is awful casting as Plum. As soon as I told my wife and mother they both got mad. They also thought the guys cast for Morelli and Ranger were pretty bland.

 

There was a lot of potential here.

Let's also not forget the fact that this was originally supposed to be a July 2011 release and was suddenly pushed back six months with no reason given.  I smell a turd.

 

She stood by TR Knight to get Isaiah Washington fired , so she must get credit for that, but with her trashing Apatow in the press, and dating ghosts on TV, I have no interest in her as an actress and generally find her presence distracting. Her performances are very mannered, and just come off as phony

As much as I dislike Heigl, I am seriously rooting for this to be big (unless, you know, it's absolutely awful). I think its cool that Heigl has been able to take control of her career like this as a star and producer. This looks leagues more watchable than her other garbage, and I'm all in favor of this sort of franchise-building with the Tom Cruise or Will Smith sensibility (i.e. make sure not to cast anyone who can overshadow the star). I would say it's equally significant if this were good as it would be if it were successful.

 

Heigl was really into looking for a franchise for awhile. I liked that Outlander idea, about the WWII nurse who time travels to ancient Scotland.

God that sounds awful.

 

I wonder: is there any current Hollywood actress who could support a franchise like Will Smith or even Tyler Perry?

JOLIE.

I thought about that but, IMHO, no. She tried it with SALT, it didn't work. She can't even get another Tomb Raider off the ground. The tabloids like her, but generally her BO returns are not especially impressive (correct me if I am wrong, but look at, for instance, the TOURIST)

I don't think there are many who have really even tried, outside of Angelina Jolie's middle-of-the-road attempts (Tomb Raider, Salt).  I guess you could possibly count Kate Beckinsale (Underworld) and Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), but I don't think they are the true draw for either franchise they front.

 

This could do well enough to warrant a sequel or two based on the popularity of the novels alone.  That said, the release bump does not inspire confidence.  If Lionsgate thought they had a big franchise-starter on their hands, I doubt they would have chucked it out in January.  Granted the month of my birth is no longer the wasteland that it used to be, but it certainly doesn't seem like a good month to toss out something like this.  The middle of July would have been a horrible time to release this as well, but I'd have thought an October or November setting would have been a better option.  I'm kind of shocked that Lionsgate didn't give it a release in either of those months considering the fact that (as far as I can tell) they have nothing else going wide for the rest of this year.  Anyway, looking at the weeks before/during/after, here's the competition it currently faces.....

 

- Underworld: Awakening

- Haywire

- Red Tails

- The Grey

- The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes

- The Woman In Black

 

Nothing massive, just mostly horror and action.............standard Jan/Feb stuff.  Counter-programming is always a good idea, but I'll be surprised if any of these (except maybe WiB) turns out to be a huge moneymaker.

 

 

Again though, the bump isn't very inspiring............................not that being shitty ever stopped a movie from making money.

Haywire. Carano wipes the floor with Heigl.

I didn't hate the trailer, but it didn't make me want to see the movie either. I thought it was trying to hard to be quirky.

That's what I would like to happen, but I don't really think it will.

 

This may make some coin on the opening weekend, before word of mouth kills it...but as others have said this could have been a big deal...the books have crossed over the way few crime series do, and like Alex Cross* before her, Stef Plum's full BO potential will never be realised...

 

 

 

 

 

(* I am in no way suggesting Alex Cross or Stef Plum novels are remotely good. They aren't. But they are popular as houses)