The situation isn’t exactly analogous, but I nevertheless couldn’t help but think of that whole “Should’ve took the money, Toombs” exchange while reading the Facebook post below. Most times, when somebody’s doing a status update, it’s about the livestock they just acquired on Farmville or about how they’ve found their top five profile stalkers (and so can you!) When Vin Diesel posts on his account, it’s about shooting a movie.
GRRRR..
D T the writer/director just landed in New York with the good news. We can start filming this summer. However, there is a catch... in order for us to make a true R rated film, I must work for scale upfront. Not unlike the "Find me Guilty" experience (which I wouldn't have changed for the world)...
Money is always second to art,integrity and spirit... but the real issue is deeper. Can I suspend my life, to momentarily venture to that dark place... called Riddick.
Now, I need to hear from Our collective... you.
Wisdom and clarity appreciated.
While movie #3 has been in development for at least seven years, now, I like to think this was prompted by our features on Riddick during religious sci-fi week.
For the record, Find Me Guilty was a criminally underrated movie that let Vin actually play somebody who wasn’t a convict for once… oh wait, well Jackie DiNorscio was on trial for mob racketeering, so it still technically was… but you get what I mean. He got to do a different kind of role in a Sidney Lumet courtroom drama/comedy that slyly satirized people’s unhealthy sympathy for gangsters. A nice change of pace, so of course it grossed less than $3 million worldwide.
Anyway, were I part of Vin’s FB collective, I’d obviously say, "DO IT!" You hear so often about celebrities walking away from movies with back-end deals that net them upwards of $50 million, yet they still fret about how they don’t get to do the roles they want. You wonder why they don’t finance those dream roles themselves more often. This isn't quite like that, but it's close, so good on him if he puts his money where his mouth is (literally.)
I think a tighter budget and an R-rating is the best for Richard B. Riddick, right now. It might even win back some fans who thought the last Chronicle got too big for its britches.
Also maybe even a new videogame
I can always go for a new Riddick movie. Just don't make it like last time.
@MrMazz: It basically means that you work for the bare minimum salary allowed under the Screen Actor's Guild, something like a few hundred bucks a day. That's his up-front, guaranteed pay. He'd get a percentage of the profits of the film, though, so he'd still be making money...unless the film is a huge bomb.