Liam cast in Magnificent email tangle
Actor to star in remake of classic
A TROVE of internal emails between executives at Sony Pictures which have been released by Wikileaks reveal that Liam Neeson was cast in a lead role in a remake of The Magnificent Seven because they felt he is the ‘perfect actor to take the role’.
The conversation includes emails from the most senior managers of the movie, including studio chair and vice-chair Amy Pascal and Jeff Blake, and the president of MGM studios Jonathan Glickman.
The conversation was started by an email from Mr Glickman to Ms Pascal, which said: ‘We have an opportunity to put together The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington, Liam Neeson and [director] Antoine Fuqua. Movie would start next spring.
‘We need to make deals now – the budget is $75million-ish. Is this something you are interested in and could be ready to commit to so we can making deals and prepping together?
In a flurry of replies, and some dissent, the fate of the film was decided. While one executive said that the script was ‘fine’, the rest of the comments shed a new light on the the decisions behind how big-budget movies are made.
Elizabeth Cantillon, who has produced three Bond movies, wrote back: ‘We would have to believe that the filmmaker and the 2 stars make it worth it. It’s a fine script but not in itself a reason to remake. It’s solid but not super exciting. I have the same question as Mike – what makes this good for Jeff? It feels a little Monuments Men to me. There. I said it...’
Michael DeLuca, a producer on 50 Shades of Grey, commented: ‘I liked the script too but I do wish it weren’t so conventional. There’s something about remaking a classic without bringing anything new to the table except modern casting that makes me a bit queasy.’
Embarrassingly, the support from outgoing vice chairman Jeff Blake came under fire in one private email between two executives.
‘Why is Jeff so bullish on this western getting that high internationally? True Grit and Django did it with flawless auteur directors and new spins on old archetypes. This is way more in the tradition of the Yuma remake and that stalled out,’ he wrote.
He added that the idea of Neeson and Denzel Washington was the decider: ‘On the plus side though, Liam Neeson’s intl numbers are astounding on his solo actioners and he and Denzel are definitely 2 plus 2 = 5.’
The film is due for release in 2017.
‘His international numbers are outstanding’