Posted on 04/02/2009 8:16:16 AM PDT by fella
With 'Atlas Shrugged,' Hollywood May Have its First Anti-Bailout Movie By Steven Zeitchik
Hollywood could soon be going Objectivist.
After decades in development hell, Ayn Rand’s capitalism-minded “Atlas Shrugged” is taking new steps toward the big screen — with one of the film world’s most prominent money men potentially at its center.
Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media is circling the Baldwin Entertainment project and could come aboard to finance with Lionsgate, which got involved several years ago.
Rand’s popular but polarizing book — it’s derided by many literary critics but has a huge public following — tells the story of Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive trying to keep her corporation competitive in the face of what she perceives as a lack of innovation and individual responsibility.
A number of stars have expressed serious interest in playing the lead role of Taggart. Angelina Jolie previously had been reported as a candidate to play the strong female character, but the list is growing and now includes Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway.
Although it was written a half-century ago, producers say that the book’s themes of individualism resonate in the era of Obama, government bailouts and stimulus packages -- making this the perfect moment to bring the 1,100-page novel to the big screen.
“This couldn’t be more timely,” said Karen Baldwin, who along with husband Howard is producing, with film industry consultant John Logigian advising on the project. “It’s uncanny what Rand was able to predict — about the only things she didn’t anticipate are cell phones and the Internet.” Baldwin may be on to something -- love it or hate it, "Shrugged" is seeing a resurgence, with book sales spiking as debates rage in Washington and around the country about the government's role in a faltering free-market economy.
The author’s final novel offers an embattled railroad company as a metaphor for a society that Taggart (and Rand) sees as succumbing to socialism at the expense of individual creativity. Its backbone is a 50-page speech by the mysterious but major character John Galt in which he lays out the Rand principles of Objectivism, which argues for an aggressive free market and against government activism. Let's just say it's probably not on the president's nightstand.
With all the long speeches and with plot points often a Trojan Horse for Rand's ideas, it's not an easy writing or directing gig, but producers believe they've got the man who could do it. Randall Wallace, the writer on other crisis-era, politically themed works such as “Braveheart” and “Pearl Harbor,” has written the latest draft of the screenplay and is also interested in coming on to direct.(He would follow in the steps of "House of Sand and Fog" director Vadim Perelman, who had been attached to direct and fell off; we like Perelman, but would have been quite the transition for him.)
The project would likely land in the $50 million-budget range but could go higher depending on talent.
Producers are looking to shoot next year, driven in part by the timeliness, as well as by a clause in the option. A high net-worth individual with whom the Baldwins have partnered controls the option, but that option would revert to the Rand estate if production doesn't begin by the end of 2010.
An “Atlas Shrugged” movie has gone through endless development fits and starts. Faye Dunaway and Clint Eastwood had been attached to earlier versions -- if that doesn't give you an idea of how far back it goes, we don't know what will -- but with both Rand and the Rand estate very particular about how the story was handled, those iterations didn’t get traction.
This decade, Howard Baldwin and Philip Anschutz were on board to produce at their Crusader Entertainment banner, but that effort didn't take flight. The Baldwins took the project with them when the “Ray” producers split from Anschutz several years ago and pacted with the high net-worth figure, who is said to especially like the timeliness of the book's message.
Producers also say that while Relativity and Lionsgate are in the pole position to finance and distribute, other studio and financier suitors could yet materialize.
Still, Karen Baldwin praised Lionsgate and Michael Burns, who has championed the project at the studio, and also said Kavanaugh would be an appropriate partner. “The subject of the book would seem to fit with the kind of people who are willing to step up and take big chances," she said.
The Rand involvement on earlier versions -- along with the verbiage-heavy sections -- is probably why there hasn't been a Rand project on the big screen in 60 years, not since Gary Cooper played Howard Roark in Warner Bros.' "The Fountainhead." With some big-time entrepeneurs potentially coming board, there now may be a lot less shrugging and a lot more shooting.
from the above article by Steven Zeitchik:
>>> Rand’s popular but polarizing book — it’s derided by many literary critics but has a huge public following — tells the story of Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive trying to keep her corporation competitive in the face of what she perceives as a lack of innovation and individual responsibility. <<<
I haven’t read the book, but I have discussed it with people who have. In the book, wasn’t there a reason why there was a lack of innovation and individual responsibility? Some kind of cause? What was it? Martian invaders? Nazis? Zombies? Something *big*, I seem to remember...
>>> Although it was written a half-century ago, producers say that the book’s themes of individualism resonate in the era of Obama, government bailouts and stimulus packages — making this the perfect moment to bring the 1,100-page novel to the big screen.
Ah, so Rand’s book is about INDIVIDUALISM. No doubt individualism that’s being repressed by Big Business. Or a vast right-wing conspiracy. Or alien Nazi zombies. I mean, what else in America might be suppressing the expression of individual creativity? Especially economic expression. Let me think a minute...
>>> Baldwin may be on to something — love it or hate it, “Shrugged” is seeing a resurgence, with book sales spiking as debates rage in Washington and around the country about the government’s role in a faltering free-market economy. <<<
OK, maybe that’s it. The GOVERNMENT might have a role in Rand’s book in relation to the problems with free markets, individualism, and individual responsibility. Gee, I wonder what that role might be...
>>> The author’s final novel offers an embattled railroad company as a metaphor for a society that Taggart (and Rand) sees as succumbing to socialism at the expense of individual creativity. Its backbone is a 50-page speech by the mysterious but major character John Galt in which he lays out the Rand principles of Objectivism, which argues for an aggressive free market and against government activism. Let’s just say it’s probably not on the president’s nightstand. <<<
Finally, buried in the article I find what my friends thought was quite important about the novel: Rand’s harpooning of collectivism and the socialist state. Why didn’t Zeitchik just come out and say it? Hmmm...
I don’t know about you, but given Hollywood’s ability to transmogrify books like Clancy’s _Sum of All Fears_ and Heinleins’s _Starship Troopers_ into something quite different from the original, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Rand gets bulldozed too.
It doesn’t hurt that _Atlas Shrugged_ is 1000+ pages long; it will just give the director more leeway to “pick and choose” what will go on the silver screen. After Hollywood is finished with it, it will be remembered as _Erin Brokovich_ with trains.
Who is the “High Net Worth Individual”, Rush?
That's pretty much the only circumstance under which I would watch the movie. To have a libbie play Dagny is sacrilege. Of course, Ayn Rand would hate to have a Christian (or any other person of faith) play any of her characters.
Dagny Taggart - Angie Harmon
Franciso d’Anconia - Eduardo Verastegui (drool) :)
Hank Rearden - no clue...
John Galt - Jim Caveziel
Agree with you on the Hollow-wood mangling of Clancy’s “Sum of All Fears”.
I picked it up and started reading a few pages and couldn’t put it down.
When I heard what the politically correct film crowd did to the plot I never bothered to see it..still haven’t watched it.
IIRC, Hank Rearden is 45 years old at the beginning of the story. Dagney Taggart is 35 when they find Galt's motor. Thus the actors and actresses mentioned so far are either too young or too old for the parts.
Sinise is the man. He would be a great John Galt.
I have read the book at least five times (skimming over the loooong speech after the first time) but if they have Theron and Pitt in it...I won’t see it unless I can check it out of the library.
Over the years, these people would have been my choices:
Dagny Taggart: Jodie Foster (before she became a leftwing libtard) I liked her because she wasn’t TOO good looking. Non-libtard: Angie Harmon! Great choice! She is a bit too good looking for the part but I could easily accept her. NO NO NO TO ANGELINA JOLIE!
John Galt: I am going to go with Gary Sinise. Great choice! NO NO NO TO BRAD PITT!
Francisco D’Aconia: Antoino Banderas (young)
James Taggart: Ted Buckland (the administrator in “Scrubs”
Ragnar Danneskjöld: Jurgen Prochnow (Captain in Das Boot)
Wesley Mouch: Wayne Knight (Nedry in Jurassic Park)
Lillian Reardon: Kristen Scott Thomas (The English Patient)
Dr. Robert Stadler: Joe Turkel (Blade Runner)
Midas Mulligan: Fred Thompson (younger)
Dagny Taggart - Susan Sarandon
Hank Reardon - Tim Robbins
John Galt - Sean Penn
Francisco D’Ancona - Alec Baldwin
Director - Oliver Stone.
/sarc off
oh wow...please God, NO!!! But, Sean Penn would be PERFECT for James Taggart...they are both total weasels.
FReeper Book Club: Introduction to Atlas Shrugged
Part I, Chapter I: The Theme
Part I, Chapter II: The Chain
Part I, Chapter III: The Top and the Bottom
Part I, Chapter IV: The Immovable Movers
Part I, Chapter V: The Climax of the d’Anconias
Part I, Chapter VI: The Non-Commercial
Part I, Chapter VII: The Exploiters and the Exploited
Part I, Chapter VIII: The John Galt Line
Part I, Chapter IX: The Sacred and the Profane
Part I, Chapter X: Wyatt’s Torch
Part II, Chapter I: The Man Who Belonged on Earth
But I want the big “O” as in O’Rielly to watch the film.
Gary Sinise - 44
Angie Harmon - 37
Pretty darn close, Eh?
LOL. Agreed. Great Story. I did read it but must admit to several episodes of "scanning" through numerous pages of tiatribes that re-hashed points already covered in previous diatribes. The Gault speech at the end I followed and starting reading faster and faster until I started looking for where it ended. I admit to not reading his whole speech. I knew what it said.
I think the book could have been about 200 pages shorter and not have given anything up.
Thanks.
Cool, thank you - I’ll check out the book club. Sounds like something I’d really like.
I have the "unabridged" books on CD version of Atlas Shrugged......
50 CDs......yep....fifty.....
My concern is that Hollywood would totally botch the story. I understand that they thought of making it into a move when Rand was alive and she stopped it (she disproved of the script or something and had retained rights to the screenplay).
Does anyone know if the Atlas Society has any say, as Rand did, in the writing?
YES!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.