DISNEY’S KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER.

When I first saw this, I thought it might be interesting. Then I saw Disney was producing it. All hope was immediately lost.

This could be excellent if they get Depp to go all Ninth Gate/Rum Diary on this and cast someone fantastic as his editor. Otherwise, it won't work. I don't know how they'll make use of his flash bulb camera gun though, reporters don't have cameras like that anymore.

I like how Edgar Wright is swallowed whole by Disney in this scenario, like some rock-paper-scissors shit.

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Originally Posted by Phil 

I like how Edgar Wright is swallowed whole by Disney in this scenario, like some rock-paper-scissors shit.

If it gives him more clout in Hollywood, I say let him make a slew of the bastards.

Is it wrong now that every time I now hear or read that name I can't help but think "Rumpledforeskin"?

No, Rain Dog, you're not the only one.

I was thinking serious Depp for this film as well. Edgar Wright's and his involvement make you immediately want to think this is going to be played farcical, but I'm hoping they do a 360 and switch it all around.

Seriously, this could be Edgar Wright directs Johnny Depp in Phonebook:The Movie and I'd be there opening day.

Yep, they had me at Edgar Wright. Am kind of apathetic about Depp (Sad times when that's come to pass!) but Wright's a perfect choice for replicating the mysterious but wry whimsicality of the show. I'll even give Disney a chance on this one.

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Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

Seriously, this could be Edgar Wright directs Johnny Depp in Phonebook:The Movie and I'd be there opening day.

Man, I hope that movie doesn't get confused with Liam Neeson's upcoming revenge thriller Unlisted.

So glad Disney decided to work on something with a huge brand name that will attract a MASSIVE FANBASE of viewers.

I get why they do this, I really do. I'm sure there are a bunch of Kolchak TV Series DVD's they can move with this, in addition to the movie and maybe a sequel. But it would, honestly, be nice if Wright would just rip off Kolchak completely for his own monster-hunting (demon-hunting? don't remember) movie.

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Originally Posted by Gabe T 

So glad Disney decided to work on something with a huge brand name that will attract a MASSIVE FANBASE of viewers.

 

I get why they do this, I really do. I'm sure there are a bunch of Kolchak TV Series DVD's they can move with this, in addition to the movie and maybe a sequel. But it would, honestly, be nice if Wright would just rip off Kolchak completely for his own monster-hunting (demon-hunting? don't remember) movie.

Pffft, don't be silly, where's the pre-existing tie in to a known marketable brand that way? What shitty marketing school did you go to? Wait...you want something original? How does that get a return on investment?  What are you, touched?

I like the sound of this project, but my "this isn't going to pan out" sense is tingling. 

Well it can't possibly run afoul of a runaway budget......could it?

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Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

I like the sound of this project, but my "this isn't going to pan out" sense is tingling. 

Well if John Carter does the kind of numbers many around here are predicting, the Disney blockbuster financial sphincter may tighten considerably in time for next years offerings.

It's hard not to feel that Depp's been phoning it in since Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(Not that that performance was any good, but at least he was trying something). Here's hoping Depp is up or challenging himself a bit and coming up with something new and grounded. That last part applies to Edgar Wright as well actually. I Love(capital L) all of his work but it would be fantastic, given the subject matter, to see him focus that insane amount of planning into something a bit slower and stretchier.

Disney's name does give me some fear in that it's going to have to be very kid-friendly. I'm dying to see Wright try something more straight horror, and I feel like Disney will have a tight leash on him. He's not going to be able to really try and scare us.

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Originally Posted by Jeff 

 

Disney's name does give me some fear in that it's going to have to be very kid-friendly. I'm dying to see Wright try something more straight horror, and I feel like Disney will have a tight leash on him. He's not going to be able to really try and scare us.

This doesn't need gruey R-rated horror. The DIsney that put out the PIRATES movies is just fine for a Kolchak movie. And Depp and Wright is groin-grabbingly great.

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Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) 

I was thinking serious Depp for this film as well. Edgar Wright's and his involvement make you immediately want to think this is going to be played farcical, but I'm hoping they do a 360 and switch it all around.

 

 

Indeed.  Like Dark Shadows, this is another pet project of Johnny's.............so I doubt he'll phone it in.  Doubly so with Wright at the helm.  As for Edgar himself?  I hope everyone doesn't expect him to remain tongue-in-cheek on everything.  The man is a MASSIVE fan of the horror and thriller genres, so I suspect this will be fairly straight-faced with a bit of dark humor.  Besides, anything that helps pave the way for his thriller/musical De Palma homage, Baby Driver, is A-OK in my book!

Anyway, when this and Ant-Man get made will respectively depend entirely on the schedules of Depp and Marvel.  The World's End will, more than likely, be made first.  So............and I direct this to all whiny fanboys out there.................quit your bitchin'!  If you want Wright to continue to be able to make original works with creative freedom, than the man is going to have to run around the studio playground from time to time.  He's not going to be able to survive forever making low budget efforts that can't crack $30 million domestic.......................especially since his last film didn't even make back half its budget at the box office.  Money talks, people!

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Originally Posted by Phil 

I like how Edgar Wright is swallowed whole by Disney in this scenario, like some rock-paper-scissors shit.

Exactly.  Besides, he's already been working with Disney (via Marvel) for a couple of years now on Ant-Man.  It's not like this is a "new" relationship.

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Originally Posted by Gabe T 

So glad Disney decided to work on something with a huge brand name that will attract a MASSIVE FANBASE of viewers.

It's not Disney's idea.  It's Depp's.  He owns the rights to The Night Stalker himself.  Disney is simply on board because they want to remain in the "Johnny Depp business" so he'll continue to make another Pirates film for them every once in awhile.
 

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Originally Posted by Andrew Merriweather 

This doesn't need gruey R-rated horror. The DIsney that put out the PIRATES movies is just fine for a Kolchak movie. And Depp and Wright is groin-grabbingly great.

 

I never said gruey R-rated horror. Disney have sunk a lot of money into Depp being their huge breadwinner, and I doubt they're going to risk alienating a single potential viewer with "frightening scenes". Depp's current acting trend and Wright's over-the-top direction and editing both lend themselves to live-action cartoons. I'm just hoping for something that isn't Johnny Depp mugging, putting on an odd affectation and running away from monsters over and over. There are many examples of genuinely spooky horror that didn't need an R rating, but unless it's released under the Touchstone banner, I don't think that's going to happen under Disney. With this combination I just can't help wonder about the what-ifs.

EDIT: I didn't know Depp himself owned the rights to the property. That being said, I hope he and Wright use his clout to steer things in a respectable direction, rather than my initial fear of a Johnny Depp/Disney dogpile on the director.

As long as the budget isn't ridiculous (and there's no reason it should be), Johnny and Edgar will get their way on this.  Like I said, Depp owns the rights himself.  If he doesn't like Disney's demands, he can take it elsewhere.  I bet Warner Brothers would snap it up in a heartbeat.

"In our lifetime, we will see Johnny Depp playing Captain Crunch. ” - Alan Moore

That's kind of how I feel about Depp and his choices now. I like Wright, and if this ever comes together, and if people continue to retain an interest in a middle-aged, totally cashing all his chips Johnny Depp* (which I feel is right around the corner from evaporating), then I'm sure this will be good for him in the sense that it will give him more wiggle room to do interesting stuff in Hollywood, and that works for me.

*Don't get me wrong, Depp's been doing this shit for damn near 30 years. He built a sterling rep on interesting projects, he totally proved himself and sacrificed big bucks to build a sturdy career that he could comfortably lay his head on at night. He did all the work, now it's time to kick back and chill. Totally get it. The shift itself is not something I poo-poo just b/c he's doing super commercial shit now, but now that he's a brand, my interest in Depp as an actor is practically in a persistent vegetative state.

I find it super-hard to believe Ant-Man is still happening.

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Originally Posted by Gabe T 

I find it super-hard to believe Ant-Man is still happening.

Ditto.

Wright needs a film that peforms well to give him some clought, so a Disney project with Depp sounds like a good way to do it to me.

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Originally Posted by Gabe T 

I find it super-hard to believe Ant-Man is still happening.

I wish it wasn't, sounds like a horrible superhero really.

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Originally Posted by JacknifeJohnny 

*Don't get me wrong, Depp's been doing this shit for damn near 30 years. He built a sterling rep on interesting projects, he totally proved himself and sacrificed big bucks to build a sturdy career that he could comfortably lay his head on at night. He did all the work, now it's time to kick back and chill. Totally get it. The shift itself is not something I poo-poo just b/c he's doing super commercial shit now, but now that he's a brand, my interest in Depp as an actor is practically in a persistent vegetative state.

I don't think anything has changed with Depp's choices. He makes what he wants to make. Probably having kids changed his views somewhat on what he picks. Sure he does super commercial shit now but he was doing super indie shit back then as well. His good movie to bad movie ratio is basically the same as it always was just now a greater number of people are actually paying attention to him.

And nobody diss Ant-Man.

Much as I'd like to see Wright direct a superhero comedy about a guy who can shrink and talk to ants, there's just no getting around the skeezy aspects of the character. What's worse is the way Marvel keeps digging themselves in deeper trying to make the character viable again.

Maybe a Wasp movie would work? But then the spousal abuse aspect is still the elephant in the room. Maybe a Wasp movie would work if they just threw Ant-Man down the memory hole completely and hummed loudly whenever some nerd tried to bring up the comics.

I know the Stuart Townsend thing was horrible, but Kolchak would still work better as a monster of the week thing on TV. With probably the only actor who could do justice to McGavin, Bryan Cranston.

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Originally Posted by The Prankster 

Much as I'd like to see Wright direct a superhero comedy about a guy who can shrink and talk to ants, there's just no getting around the skeezy aspects of the character. What's worse is the way Marvel keeps digging themselves in deeper trying to make the character viable again.

 

Maybe a Wasp movie would work? But then the spousal abuse aspect is still the elephant in the room. Maybe a Wasp movie would work if they just threw Ant-Man down the memory hole completely and hummed loudly whenever some nerd tried to bring up the comics.

I'm fairly certain I read that they're looking at Kirkman's version of the character (i.e., not Pym at all), which IMHO is a more amusing superhero pisstake than The Boys.

As to Kolchack, even at the remove of several decades, I recall that it was McGavin that sold the thing, not the monster-of-the-week-and-all-the-evidence-has-disappeared storytelling. And while I generally like Depp, McGavin was one of those actors who never seemed to be acting, which (for better or worse) is about 180 degrees opposite of Depp's style, so it's unfotunate that he's the one with the rights to the thing, if his desire is to star in it. 

But as others have mentioned, these guys have such full plates currently that I'd give no better than 50-50 odds of it happening at all.

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Originally Posted by Disciple_72 

I know the Stuart Townsend thing was horrible, but Kolchak would still work better as a monster of the week thing on TV. With probably the only actor who could do justice to McGavin, Bryan Cranston.

Cranston would rock Kolchak so hard. "Breaking BOO!".

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Originally Posted by Disciple_72 

I know the Stuart Townsend thing was horrible, but Kolchak would still work better as a monster of the week thing on TV. With probably the only actor who could do justice to McGavin, Bryan Cranston.

Always wanted William H. Macy for Kolchak, actually. With Miguel Ferrer as his grumpy editor.

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Originally Posted by tommy five-tone 

Always wanted William H. Macy for Kolchak, actually. With Miguel Ferrer as his grumpy editor.

Yes on Miguel Ferrer in the Simon Oakland role!!  Not sure about William H. Macy for Kolchak though.   Darren McGavin is such a hard act to follow.  I don't know if there's an actor that fill his shoes.

ETA:  Like Macy, Cranston's a brilliant actor but I don't see either of them as being right for Kolchak.  If Johnny Depp is really in love with the property, maybe he'll do it justice and having the great Edgar Wright on board doesn't hurt.  Fingers crossed.

Geoffrey Rush or bust.

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Originally Posted by Jeb 

I'm fairly certain I read that they're looking at Kirkman's version of the character (i.e., not Pym at all), which IMHO is a more amusing superhero pisstake than The Boys.

Wright has previously stated that his Ant-Man film would feature both Hank Pym and Scott Lang, starting in the 60s and taking place over a couple decades.  Unless something has changed, that's the route he's taking.  Tonally, he's likened it to '60s spy movies, so I guess this will be Edgar's take on Bond.  If it gets made.

I think Marvel is holding off on geenlighting non-sequel projects until after they see how well Avengers does this summer.  If it takes off well, I think we'll quickly greenlights for stuff like Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, Runaways, Luke Cage, Guardians of the Universe, etc.  If not?  Some of those might still make it through, but I bet they'll stick mostly to sequels (Thor 2, Iron Man 3, Cap 2) or end up introducing new heroes in said follow-ups.

Their long-term goal is supposedly 2 "blockbusters" and 2 or 3 smaller films each year, which sounds doable as long as the budgets are kept down on the smaller properties.  For example, Dr. Strange has been rumored to be a mid-budgeted entry and there's no reason that stuff like Luke Cage and any SHIELD films should cost too much.  I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that the various rewrites for Ant-Man have mainly been to pare down the budget.

Ant-Man getting made might also depend on how well The Night Stalker does, assuming it gets made first.  Perhaps it was a case of a "do this Depp movie that's in your wheelhouse and we'll greenlight your oddball superhero flick if it does well" deal?

S.D. Bob Plissken, I hope someone...Else, directs Ant-Man!  I am not a fan of Edgar Wright!   I hope there are at least...3 Kolchak Films.

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Originally Posted by yt 

Yes on Miguel Ferrer in the Simon Oakland role!!  Not sure about William H. Macy for Kolchak though.   Darren McGavin is such a hard act to follow.  I don't know if there's an actor that fill his shoes.

 

ETA:  Like Macy, Cranston's a brilliant actor but I don't see either of them as being right for Kolchak.

I just picture Cranston having a blast as the classic Kolchak- an unkempt, wisecracking, bullshit merchant, but dogged as hell. Ostensibly annoying, yet in the most charismatic way that makes him impossible to dislike. William H Macy would be an acceptable second choice, he's another one who could offset the serious bits with his great comic skills. Paul Giamatti is another one who I think could bring the seedy charm.
 

The Oakland role should probably go to Charles Dutton.

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Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 

 

Wright has previously stated that his Ant-Man film would feature both Hank Pym and Scott Lang, starting in the 60s and taking place over a couple decades.  Unless something has changed, that's the route he's taking.  Tonally, he's likened it to '60s spy movies, so I guess this will be Edgar's take on Bond.  If it gets made.

 

Guess I was just living in hope, as Irredeemable Ant-Man's Eric O'Grady was the only incarnation of the character I much enjoyed (although if Wright uses the visual from Alias, with Lang eaten by ants, I'm onboard).

And given that Kochack is  likely to be Depp or no one, guess we have to trust that Wright's got some interesting ideas of his own.

Ant-Man, Schmant-Schman. I want the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy capper, Mr. Wright!

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Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 

Wright has previously stated that his Ant-Man film would feature both Hank Pym and Scott Lang, starting in the 60s and taking place over a couple decades.  Unless something has changed, that's the route he's taking.  Tonally, he's likened it to '60s spy movies, so I guess this will be Edgar's take on Bond.  If it gets made.

 

I think Marvel is holding off on geenlighting non-sequel projects until after they see how well Avengers does this summer.  If it takes off well, I think we'll quickly greenlights for stuff like Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, Runaways, Luke Cage, Guardians of the Universe, etc.  If not?  Some of those might still make it through, but I bet they'll stick mostly to sequels (Thor 2, Iron Man 3, Cap 2) or end up introducing new heroes in said follow-ups.

 

Their long-term goal is supposedly 2 "blockbusters" and 2 or 3 smaller films each year, which sounds doable as long as the budgets are kept down on the smaller properties.  For example, Dr. Strange has been rumored to be a mid-budgeted entry and there's no reason that stuff like Luke Cage and any SHIELD films should cost too much.  I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that the various rewrites for Ant-Man have mainly been to pare down the budget.

 

Ant-Man getting made might also depend on how well The Night Stalker does, assuming it gets made first.  Perhaps it was a case of a "do this Depp movie that's in your wheelhouse and we'll greenlight your oddball superhero flick if it does well" deal?

I do hope most of this is true. My qualms-

1) A "mid-budgeted" Dr. Strange? Go big or go home.

2) I'll believe Marvel will do a mid-budgeted ANYTHING when I see it. When they took out that first post (or pre? don't remember) Iron Man loan, they said they would be making a number of films with budgets around $60 million. Psh.

3) By the time we see this Edgar Wright Kolchak, it might actually be a full decade since he's been attached to Ant-Man. The neverending silence on that project... I dunno man. I do hope Joe Cornish is still co-writing.

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Originally Posted by Trav McGee 

Ant-Man, Schmant-Schman. I want the Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy capper, Mr. Wright!

You're getting your wish.  It is being written as we speak and, barring Marvel or Depp having an opening in their respective schedules, it will likely be his next film.

I think you'd have to be suffering from some sort of head injury to give a fuck about an Ant-Man movie, regardless of who was directing it.

I would prefer Crankston to Depp as well. The role seems like it would be best played an middle aged every man type. Of course Depp would play quirky and probably be good, I would rather the role go to Crankston or someone like him. Or could split the difference and have David Duchovny play Kolchak.

Bryan Cranston Kolchak : 1 M Worldwide

Johnny Depp Kolchak : 1 B Worlwide

Hmmmm...

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Originally Posted by Sebastian OB 

I think you'd have to be suffering from some sort of head injury to give a fuck about an Ant-Man movie, regardless of who was directing it.

I would be more than willing to watch a Wright-directed Ant-Man flick.  If he ends up leaving the project though, my interest will die immediately.  At that point, they might as well just make him a supporting character in another hero's franchise...............or not even bother at all.

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Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 

I would be more than willing to watch a Wright-directed [fill in the blank] flick.

That's how I read it, anyway.

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Originally Posted by User_32 

 

 

Bryan Cranston Kolchak : 1 M Worldwide

Johnny Depp Kolchak : 1 B Worlwide

 

Hmmmm...

Yeah, if Depp liked the property enough to buy it, it's hard to imagine him passing it off to someone else.

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Originally Posted by Jeb 

 

That's how I read it, anyway.

Me too, but I have zero problem with that opinion.

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Originally Posted by The Rain Dog 

Me too, but I have zero problem with that opinion.

Yeah, that was actually just my cheesy way of getting out of saying "fixed that for you."