Per Deadline’s report, Sony has entered into talks with German director and disaster fetishist Roland Emmerich to helm their recently-purchased spec script, White House Down, described as Die Hard, but in the White House. Come to think of it, that sounds kind of bad ass.
The script was brought to Sony courtesy of Mark Vanderbilt who, along with his Mythology Entertainment partners, netted a cool $3 million in the deal. Not a bad chunk of change for a spec script. Vanderbilt, you might remember, scripted The Amazing Spider-Man for Sony as well, so this isn’t his first rodeo.
I like Emmerich well enough. Despite some of his more recent clunkers few directors can blow shit up with such maniacal jubilation. Independence Day still holds up visually – better than even some of the more recent CG-laden blockbusters. But an action movie involving an overtaken White House, how is it 2012 and we’re just now arriving at this premise? If this were at Fox I feel like it’d have been retrofitted into Die Hard 5 by now.
8 comments
He blows up stuff real good but I personally put him on a no watch zone. I would rather go in with low expectations to a knowingly bad Rattner film, then the seemingly always interesting looking, visually appealing digital effects laden work or Emmerich. His non-effects movies have somehow been ok, but ID4 just hit a sour note with me for it’s tone changing comedy and the uneven threat level of the aliens (undefeatable by almost everything, but Will Smith’s hand). 2012 also was cool for the effects but a paper thin plot full of holes, and I won’t even start on 10000 BC. I think he will go down in history as having Stargate be his one great movie (I did like Patriot also, but didn’t think it was great).
I do agree with you on the fact Fox would have turned this into Die Hard 5.
Die Hard in the White House? “Transfer of Power” by Vince Flynn (1999).
Here’s another film I already know will suck donkey dicks. Thanks for the heads up.
I would definitely use the words “bad” and “ass” to describe how this sounds, but not in the same context as you use them.
However, at least Emmerich is going back where he belongs, doing popcorn blockbusters. Not withstanding some complete failures such as “2012” and ‘Universal Soldier”, Emmerich fares far better with escapist junk food movies than with his attempts tp get serious.
I never realized he did Universal. I am shocked that came from him. I still stand behind the fact I don’t think he has done anything worthwhile after Stargate, but wow, I would have never known without hearing it from Pink Wombat then looking it up.
Wha..? He did Universal Soldier AND Stargate? Damn, I have a soft spot for both of them. His films have gotten progressively worse the more moolah he’s been given to play with. Restrict him to $50m and a halfway decent script and he’ll make something worth seeing again.
About 10 years ago, this exact idea was pitched as an Air Force One sequel that was to have starred Michael Keaton. …. They might as well go with that then.
Also season seven of 24.
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