Even the most enthusiastic devotee of big-budget Hollywood is bound to have a few movies which he trudges to see out of a sense of duty rather than excitement. For me it's (among other things) Ron Howard's Da Vinci Code franchise, based on the borderline illiterate but ultra-popular books by Dan Brown. It is out of that same sense of obligation that I report to you the impending recruitment of Ewan McGregor to star alongside Tom Hanks in Angels & Demons, the prequel to the first film. McGregor will play Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca, a Papal aide who helps Hanks's intrepid symbologist stop an attack on the Vatican. As we suspected yesterday, Munich's Ayelet Zurer is also on board to play Vittoria Vetra, the daughter of a murdered physicist who tags along with the hero scientist. (This is contrary to earlier reports that Naomi Watts had scored the part.)The main reason I have little hope for Angels & Demons is that, as with the first film, the screenplay will be written by Akiva Goldsman, who may be my least favorite working screenwriter. Ewan McGregor is a splendid actor, but Goldsman's dull, leaden dialogue managed to defeat even Sir Ian McKellen. As The Da Vinci Code proved, Goldsman and Brown are one deadly combination.
We've got a ways to go: Angels & Demons comes out next May. I think I'll go back to not thinking about it now, if you don't mind.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-25-2008 @ 10:53AM
mcafee_matthew said...
While agree Goldsman's resume had low points (i.e. with the Batman/Schumacher franchise) But do you really think of him as your least favorite writer? A beautiful mind, Cinderella Man and the Client were great movies. Perhaps he wasn't the lead writer, I don't know. But surely there are worse writers out there. Is it me or are Cinematical articles and comments getting more and more negative. I'll keep reading but I'd to see more positive reviews/posts etc. Are we really that miserable that we can't appreciate big Hollywood movies and only Indie fare...maybe I'm being to preachy but I think we should be giving a lot of actors and filmakers more credit than they receive.
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4-25-2008 @ 12:43PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Are we ready for Ewan McGregor with a cheezy Italian accent?
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4-25-2008 @ 1:46PM
Liz said...
I love Ewan McGregor but I can't see him playing this character at all. Terrible casting in my opinion.
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