Casting: “Escape from New York” Remake

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It seems that there may be movement on a remake of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York. Reports indicate that Joel Silver and his Silver Pictures are teaming with StudioCanal to make it happen and current plans are for a trilogy of films.

Like most fans, I really liked Escape from New York.  Although I was happy to see the return of Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), Escape from L.A. just wasn’t as good.

Which of course begs the question, would a remake (or a trio of Snake Plissken films) work?  The correct answer is, of course, with the right script, actors and director.

So… let’s take a look at who should fill the roles in Escape from New York Remake:

  • Snake Plissken was originally played by Kurt Russell should now be played by Guy Pearce.
  • Hauk was originally played by Lee Van Cleef should now be played by Stephen Lang.
  • Cabbie was originally played by Ernest Borgnine should now be played by Brian Cox.
  • The President was originally played by Donald Pleasence should now be played by James Gandolfini.
  • The Duke was originally played by Isaac Hayes should now be played by Terry Crews.
  • Brain was originally played by Harry Dean Stanton should now be played by Michael Emerson.
  • Maggie was originally played by Adrienne Barbeau should now be played by Rosario Dawson.
  • Romero was originally played by Frank Doubleday should now be played by Walton Goggins.
  • Slag was originally played by Ox Baker should now be played by  Ryan Hurst.

So, what do you think?  Inspired casting or did I miss the mark?

MegaCon or Bust!

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This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, my buddy, John Beatty and I are going to be in Orlando hanging out with several thousand other like-minded folks.  Yep, it’s time for MegaCon. 

John is going as a guest  of the show.  That means while John is sketching for fans, I’ll either be hanging at his table keeping the fun at it’s maximum level or I’ll be visiting with other artists/friends looking to get a sketch or two for my Stallone Sketch theme collection.

If you’ve never been to MegaCon, you’re missing out.  There’s something for everyone.  There are celebrity guests, comic book creators, dozens of artists sketching for fans, panels, gaming, and more.

If you’re in driving distance of the show, come on down.  If not, there’s always next year.  Hope to see you there!

What the “Wizard of Oz” is Really About!

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I got kick out of 7 Theories of What the Wizard of Oz is Really About by Bilge Ebiri for Venture.com.  Hopefully you will too.

Here are tidbits from my three favorite theories in the article…

Religious Allegory

In this theory, The Wizard of Oz is seen… as an allegory of faith…The Yellow Brick Road is the path to enlightenment, with the characters encountering a variety of emblems of sin and temptation along the way toward the Emerald City, which is a kind of a heaven… the Wicked Witch is killed with water, suggesting baptism…

Atheist Allegory

Hilariously, this theory I.D.’s almost all the same elements as the religious allegory, but then interprets them in the opposite direction — that is, God, a.k.a. the Wizard, isn’t real, there’s a mortal behind the curtain, and all that spiritual mumbo jumbo is illusory…

The Glinda Conspiracy Theory

…Glinda the Good Witch might actually be the true villain of Oz…  Glinda gloats a bit too morbidly over the death of the Wicked Witch of the East, calling for celebrations and then actually taunting the witch’s sister… that Glinda… knows the ruby slippers will send Dorothy home, hides this fact from Dorothy and sends the unwitting girl off to do her dirty work for her, all so she herself can finally rule over the land of Oz…

Check out the article to read these three complete theories as well as the other four.

Mike Torrance: Nighthawks’ Deke DaSilva

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Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd is back! Mike has given us his take on Sly as Deke DaSilva from Nighthawks.

You can see more of Mike’s art at The Daily Sketch with The Krayola Kidd (and if you’ve never checked out Mike’s site, you ought to if only to see his Walking Dead cards!) and his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable.


100 Bullets’ Lono is Back!

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100 Bullets by writer Brian Azzarello, artist Eduardo Risso, colorist Trish Mulvihill, letterer Clem Robbins and cover artist Dave Johnson ran for 100 issues and was one of the best crime comics ever.  When it ended, most fans appreciated that the story was done, but hated the loss of their monthly crime fix.

Now, nearly three years later, the entire creative team is returning to bring us a limited series which not only takes place in the same universe as 100 Bullets, but features one of the series most popular characters, Lono.

It’s like Christmas came early.

If you want to learn more about Brother Lono, you can thanks to this interview at Newsarama.

Todd Robinson, Dirty Words & The Hard Bounce

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I have a feeling that Todd Robinson may be one of those overnight sensations that everyone discovers after a decade.

Since I’m a big fan of crime fiction, I’m always on the lookout for new authors.  I’d heard great things about Todd Robinson.  So I ordered his Dirty Words collection.  Eleven short crime stories and not a bad one in the bunch.  Yeah, it left me wanting to read more of his work — especially about two of his characters, Boo and Junior.

Boo and Junior are two tough guys who spend most nights bouncing at a local bar, but aren’t against making a few extra bucks if muscle is needed.  Dirty Words was bookended with Boo and Junior stories.  I was stoked to see that Robinson’s new novel The Hard Bounce is about Boo and Junior.  Oh, and let’s not forget their buddy, Twitch.

The Hard Bounce is currently getting rave reviews and will be in my next book order.  If you like crime fiction, it should be in yours as well.

I think you’re gonna like Boo and Junior.  As for Todd Robinson, here’s a short interview with him and you can decide for yourself.

30 Twist Endings Movie Characters Should Have Seen Coming

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Total Film recently posted a pretty cool piece about movie twist endings that the characters should have seen coming.

Spoilers abound for movies such as Angel Heart, The Village, The Dark Knight Rises, Soylent Green, The Mist, Planet of the Apes and many, many more.

So don’t say I didn’t warn ya if you click on 30 Twist Endings Movie Characters Should Have Seen Coming.

Jock’s “Zero Dark Thirty” – Secret Mission Indeed

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Have you seen this poster for Zero Dark Thirty?

It was drawn by Jock for @MondoNews.  Jock sent it out to his Twitter followers and pointed out that the soldiers coming down the ropes spell out Zero Dark Thirty.

Did you catch that just from looking at the poster?  I didn’t, but love that Jock was creative enough to add that extra layer.

Well played, sir.