Posted on 09/04/2002 10:31:16 PM PDT by tophat9000
Hollywood to do "Flying Tiger" movie
Release Date: Unknown
Not to be Confused with: There's another film, Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger, with a similar title. They're unrelated.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Company: Morgan Creek Productions, Trilogy Entertainment Group (production company of screenwriters Pen Densham and John Watson)
Cast: None announced yet.
Cast Notes: Just to show how long this project has been in development, it was almost filmed in 1995, starring Matthew McConaughey, before he became a "star" with A Time to Kill. It's likely the final cast will likewise consist of a bunch of young guys who aren't quite "stars" yet, along with an older actor playing AVG leader Claire Chennault.
George Bailey Note: Although in It's a Wonderful Life, it's his brother Harry who was the war hero and pilot, a real life George Bailey was a crewman with the Flying Tigers, winning the Bronze Star in 1996.
Director: Currently seeking one; Les Mayfield (Blue Streak, American Outlaws) had been in talks for the job, but he's moving on to The Northmen instead. His replacement hasn't been announced yet.
Screenwriter: Pen Densham (Moll Flanders), John Watson (writing team of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, A Gnome Named Gnorm); rewrite by John Rogers (cowriter of American Outlaws; also working on Mage and Catwoman)
Based Upon: There was another film, a 1942 Republic Pictures release starring John Wayne, with the same title, and the same subject/premise. However, Warner Bros. hasn't officially called this a remake (yet), so I'm hesitant to presume that. This could just be a case of, well, two movies about the same thing, having the same title. Regardless, this is the true story of the American Volunteer Group, nicknamed the "Flying Tigers."
Premise: Formed several months before Pearl Harbor, the American Volunteer Group, sponsored by the U.S. government, were a band of pilots (P-40's), and crew, who helped the Chinese fight the Japanese invasion in 1941. Just a few months later, Japan struck. Disbanding in 1942, the AVG became the 14th Air Force of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Premise Notes: Although they were called the American Volunteer Group, that was a bit of a misnomer, because the pilots were paid ($600 a month plus $500 for each Japanese plane shot down, like a bounty). It's worth noting that the reason for this "mercenary-style" payment was that the U.S. had to maintain its neutrality, and so this was a way for American pilots to help the war effort, but not "officially", you might say.
Filming: Production had been scheduled to start in August, 2001 at locations in Florida and Mexico (subbing for China), but that has since been delayed. (8/28/01) Or has it...? Dark Horizons now reports that filming is scheduled to start in October or November in Queensland, Australia.
Genre: Action, Eye Candy, Historical, War
Official Fighter Plane Site: Curtiss-Wright
Official Subject Site: FlyingTigersAVG.com (and here's an unofficial site that also has plenty of information)
Status: In Development
Knew one of the AVG pilots well, Charles Bond, who went on to make General in the USAF. Man, the stories he had about the P-40s and that era!
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.